ACIP Unveils Its 2024 Adult Immunization Recommendations | MedPage Today – Medpage Today

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated its adult immunization schedule for 2024 to include recommendations on new vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and meningitis, the mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) vaccine, and the updated COVID-19 vaccines.

Key changes to this year's recommendations, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, include the following:

The updated schedule comes on the heels of a recent CDC health advisory alert warning that many adults are not up-to-date on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccination heading into the 2023-2024 winter season. As of Dec. 23, 2023 only 43.8% of adults have received an influenza vaccine. As of Dec. 2, 2023, just 17.2% of adults have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine and 15.9% have received the RSV vaccine, according to the health alert.

In an accompanying editorial, Scott Ratzan, MD, and other members of the Council for Quality Health Communication offered scathing criticism of the CDC's complex written and visual presentation of the recommendations. "We cannot stay the present course," they commented. "The Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule article and recent CDC alert on seasonal flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccination shortfalls are the latest warning signs that the CDC needs to upgrade its health communication capability now. Our nation's health and security depend on it."

Referring to the schedule design itself, Ratzan and colleagues commented, "The color-coded grid of indications and age groups is so crammed with asterisks and fine print that CDC was apparently obliged to produce a second chart to help the reader use the first one."

They also pointed out that the updated schedule fails to address the key issue of co-administration of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines, a topic that is confusing for clinicians and patients alike.

Inadequate implementation of the CDC's adult vaccination recommendations is not a new problem, Ratzan and colleagues wrote, adding that "the newer challenges of misinformation and loss of trust in public health exacerbate the issue, as does the seductive concept of 'medical freedom' now promoted by vaccine skeptics."

Katherine Kahn is a staff writer at MedPage Today, covering the infectious diseases beat. She has been a medical writer for over 15 years.

Disclosures

Murthy and other authors of the report have no relevant ties to industry.

Ratzan has received grants and other compensation for vaccine literacy programs from the Institute for the Advancement of Health and Wellbeing, PRIME Education, CVS Health, and others. All other authors report no ties to industry.

Primary Source

Annals of Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Murthy N, et al "Recommended adult immunization schedule, United States, 2024" Ann Intern Med 2024; DOI: 10.7326/M23-3269.

Secondary Source

Annals of Internal Medicine

Source Reference: Ratzan SC, et al "Quality health communication is critical to optimal adult immunization" Ann Intern Med 2024; DOI: 10.7326/M23-3452.

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ACIP Unveils Its 2024 Adult Immunization Recommendations | MedPage Today - Medpage Today