ACIP Issues Updated Adult Vaccine Schedule

David K. Kim with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) wrote recommendations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine advising changes on use of herpes zoster vaccine and use of an additional measles mumps rubella (MMR) dose for older adults, reports MedPage Today . Kim said the ACIP updated the standards of adult immunization practice "to promote the integration of vaccinations as a part of routine clinical care for adults." The implication is that healthcare providers should evaluate an individual's vaccination status at every clinical encounter, "strongly recommend" needed vaccines to individuals, offer vaccines recommended to individuals, and document vaccines administered in the state or local immunization information system. Changes to the 2018 immunization schedule include two doses of recombinant zoster vaccine, two to six months apart to adults 50 or older, regardless of past episodes of herpes zoster or administration of zoster vaccine live; and two doses of recombinant zoster vaccine two to six months apart to adults who received zoster vaccine live, at least two months afterwards. Also recommended is a third dose of a "mumps-containing vaccine" for persons who had previously received two doses of "mumps-containing vaccine" and are "identified to public health authorities as being part of a group at risk for acquiring mumps because of an outbreak." Furthermore, adults lacking evidence of immunity to mumps are "routinely recommended" to get one MMR dose.