Erianne Leatherman | Feb 16, 2017

Immunization guide released amid Trump panel concerns

The Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and several other medical groups have released the 2017 adult and childhood immunization schedules with their latest recommendations.

The schedules were issued as concerns mount that President Donald Trump will appoint a panel to look into the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the AAFP said.

The new guidelines include a two-dose HPV vaccine for children ages 11-12, a two-dose meningitis B vaccine for adolescents, more specific recommendations for adults receiving the hepatitis B vaccine, and an adult schedule that has been made easier to navigate.

The medical groups also recommend that the hepatitis B vaccine be given to newborns "within 24 hours of birth" versus "at hospital discharge.”

AAFP President John Meigs said Trump's panel would be unnecessary and potentially harmful, arguing that vaccines have been proven safe and effective.

"A new federal commission on immunizations is not necessary and would divert much-needed dollars from other, more pressing health care issues," Meigs said. “To suggest the need for such an organization promotes unnecessary, ongoing and disproven skepticism about vaccines and public safety."

 

 

 

 

 

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