What is commentary on immunization?

From the Guidelines

All individuals should receive all age-appropriate vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent disease and improve quality of life 1.

Key Recommendations

• Infants, children, adolescents, and adults who are not current with recommended immunizations should be immunized as soon as possible, before exposure to a potentially infectious organism 1.
• Any vaccine dose not administered at the recommended age should be administered at any subsequent medical encounter when indicated and feasible without reinitiating the series 1.
• Licensed combination vaccines can be administered whenever any components of the combination are indicated, other components are not contraindicated, and if the vaccine is licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for that dose of the series 1.

Importance of Immunization

• Immunization is crucial for preventing disease, reducing morbidity and mortality, and improving quality of life 1.
• Community immunity (also known as “herd” immunity) occurs when nearly all individuals for whom vaccine is not contraindicated have been appropriately immunized, minimizing the risk of illness or spread of a vaccine-preventable infectious agent to those who do not have the direct benefit of immunization 1.

Administration of Vaccines

• Vaccines should be stored and administered as recommended 1.
• Simultaneous administration of all indicated vaccines is important, as it increases the probability that a child or adult will be appropriately immunized 1.
• Vaccines can be administered at separate injection sites during the same visit 1.

From the Research

Importance of Immunization

• Immunization can effectively prevent many infections and diseases, as stated in 2
• Childhood immunization should include a complete diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis series and a measles, mumps, and rubella series, as recommended in 3
• Booster doses for tetanus should be given every 10 years throughout life, as suggested in 3

Vaccine Effectiveness

• The effectiveness of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in preventing measles is 95% after one dose and 96% after two doses, as reported in 4
• The MMR vaccine is also effective in preventing mumps, with an effectiveness of 72% after one dose and 86% after two doses, as stated in 4
• The vaccine effectiveness against rubella is 89%, as reported in 4
• The vaccine effectiveness against varicella is 95% after two doses, as stated in 4

Safety of Vaccines

• There is evidence supporting an association between aseptic meningitis and MMR vaccines containing Urabe and Leningrad-Zagreb mumps strains, but no evidence supporting this association for MMR vaccines containing Jeryl Lynn mumps strains, as reported in 4
• The analyses provide evidence supporting an association between MMR/MMR+V/MMRV vaccines and febrile seizures, as stated in 4
• The risk of idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura (ITP) after vaccination is smaller than after natural infection with these viruses, as reported in 4
• There is no evidence of an association between MMR immunisation and encephalitis or encephalopathy, autistic spectrum disorders, and other conditions, as stated in 4

Recent Guidance on Immunizations

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Adult Immunization Schedule Recommendations for Ages 19 Years or Older in 2022, as reported in 5
• The CDC highlighted the importance of health care professionals staying up to date on the latest evidence, as stated in 5
• Keeping individuals free of vaccine-preventable diseases is one of the most effective and important public health interventions in health care, as reported in 5