3 Changes to children's vaccine recommendations announced

The nation’s largest pediatrician group today released its new schedule for recommended childhood vaccinations. It made three major changes to its previous recommendations after a federal advisory panel reviewed the latest evidence from vaccine studies.

The biggest change is the new recommendation that boys should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). Since 2006, HPV vaccination for girls has been recommended primarily to prevent cervical cancer and in 2009 the experts advised that boys were shot "could".

The stronger in the new recommendations that young recordings came about to be given "should", Because new data showed formulation giving boys the vaccine may help reduce the chances of HPV-associated cancers in both men and women, said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Meissner was part of the group of experts updating this year’s recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics; The panel also included experts from the Centers for Disease and Prevention, which had previously recommended the HPV vaccine for boys.

The new vaccination plans published today in the Pediatrics magazine (February 1).

Routine HPV vaccinations for boys

The new guidelines call for boys to receive the first of three doses of the HPV vaccine, ages 11 or 12, of the same age that the shot is recommended for girls.

HPV vaccinations also come for young men ages 13 to 21 if they haven’t had all three shots yet. It can be given to boys as young as 9 and men between 22 and 26.

Young people are encouraged to receive all three shots given over a period of 6 months before they become sexually active.

"All parents may think that their child is not sexually active at their early teens,", said Meissner. "But if you wait until they’re sexually active, you’re missing out on the benefits of vaccination."

The vaccine is known to protect against genital warts in both men and women, and recent evidence has shown that it can prevent anal cancer in both men and women. The HPV vaccine has also been shown to be protective against penile cancer and head and neck cancer.

Updates for meningococcal and flu vaccines

The meningococcal and flu vaccines are the focus of the other two policy changes.

A booster of the meningococcal vaccine is now recommended for children over the age of 16. The previous schedule recommended that children be routinely vaccinated against meningococcal disease, which prevents most types of meningitis when they are 11 or 12.

Infectious disease experts had thought that a dose of meningococcal vaccine would protect a young person through college, Meissner said. "But data is available, not least the vaccine, which has been long, and the risk increases late in teenage years", he said.

Adolescents are now advised to get a booster to ensure that protection through the high-risk window, which is between 16 and 21 years old, occurs when many are in a confined space, such as B. Maintain life in college dorms.

Flu vaccination recommendations have also been made to make some slight optimizations. This was the second year the AAP recommends that children 6 months and older must take the annual flu shot, Meissner said.

The new schedule clarifies the guidance that the flu shot for children with egg allergies. Studies have shown that the amount of egg protein in the flu vaccine is not enough to produce an allergic reaction in patients with mild allergies who can eat boiled eggs, said Meissner. Still, the flu shot may not be suitable for people with severe egg allergy, he said.

Advice for parents

Many parents are nervous about the number of shots recommended for children and adolescents these days, and they want to know how long each vaccination has been around and how serious the risk is if their child isn’t, said Dr. Peter Greenspan, medical director of MassGeneral Children’s Hospital in Boston.

He said he noticed that parents are always recognizable about vaccinations. "I find that parents really want to know why about vaccines, which is completely appropriate and important information for doctors to share," said Greenspan.

You are planning new changes when vaccinating, he said, "It is just a matter of explanation and discussion with your pediatrician."

pass on: Experts now recommended pre-teen boys to be vaccinated against HPV, who have 16-year-olds vaccinated against meningitis and that almost all children receive an influenza vaccination annually.

This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily , a sister site to LiveScience. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. Find us on Facebook.

3 Changes to children’s vaccine recommendations announced

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