ST PAUL, Minn. — Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates its recommended immunization schedules for babies, children and teens, and a separate report for adults.
The report for those 18 and younger comes just months after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two options to prevent respiratory syncytial virus in infants, and as hospitals like Children's Minnesota see an influx of patients with RSV and other illnesses.
Children's Minnesota pediatrician Dr. Liz Placzek says families who follow the guidelines are less likely to be hospitalized.
"Right now COVID, RSV, flu numbers are high," Placzek said. "ER wait times are long. We're busy, but for the first time we have vaccines to protect those at high risk against all three things."
Placzek says the most important and notable change to this year's guidelines is the addition and recommendations for the RSV injection and vaccines.
"Which is very exciting," she said.
Despite a nationwide shortage of the RSV injection, the CDC recommends Nirsevimab for infants younger than 8 months who were born during or are entering their first RSV season, and for 8-19 month-olds who are at increased risk for severe RSV and are entering their second RSV season.
"It just came out in 2023," Placzek said. "The RSV injection, it's actually antibodies so it's not technically a vaccine but we treat it like one. It's an injection kids can get and it protects them really through these winter months."
Placzek says another notable change pertains to pneumococcal disease, which causes ear infections, sinus infections, pneumonia and other serious infections.
"The new vaccine includes more strains of pneumococcal," she said. "The previous one had less strains so there were just 13 strains in it. This increases it to 20 that it protects against."
There's no need to memorize the new schedule because your pediatrician is likely up-to-date. Placzek says now is a great time to contact your health care provider and ask if your kids are caught up on shots, and to get them scheduled if they're not.
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