What's New with Childhood Vaccines?

Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issues new guidelines for childhood vaccines. The goal of the guidelines is to lower rates of illnesses that can be prevented with vaccines.

The 2010 guidelines, which appear in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, were approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics,  the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Important Vaccine Updates

Vaccines are credited with helping to reduce rates of many serious, and even deadly, childhood illnesses. Here's what you should know about the changes made this year:

• Children older than six months should receive the H1N1 flu vaccine. This vaccine first became available in October 2009.
• A new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine -- called HPV2 -- is now available. HPV vaccines protect girls from cervical cancer caused by certain strains of HPV. Girls should get all three doses of the HPV2 series at age 11 or 12. The older HPV vaccine -- called HPV4 -- is still considered effective.
• Experts now suggest that boys receive the HPV4 vaccine between ages 9 and 18 to prevent genital warts caused by certain HPV strains.
• Some high-risk children, such as those with immune system disorders, should be revaccinated three to five years after their first dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine. It protects against bacterial meningitis, which can be deadly. But getting revaccinated isn't necessary for kids whose only risk factor is that they live in a dormitory setting.

The guidelines also came out in favor of "combination" vaccines. They are preferred over separate vaccine shots. A combination vaccine contains more than one virus or bacteria.  An example of this is the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which contains three viruses.

Vaccine Safety

Most parents have their children vaccinated. However, some parents have concerns about the safety of vaccines.

For instance, some worry that the MMR vaccine might cause autism. But vaccine safety experts agree that the rise in autism rates is not due to the vaccine. In addition, the Institute of Medicine looked into these claims and found no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. What's more, the Lancet recently retracted the 1998 study that first suggested a link between the two.

Most health experts agree that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. Nonetheless, if you are worried about childhood vaccines, talk with your child's doctor. Here are some questions you might ask:

• What are the benefits and risks of vaccines?
• Are there conditions under which my child should not receive a vaccine?
• What are the potential adverse reactions my child could have?

Check with your child's doctor to make sure that your child is up-to-date on all vaccines.