Catch Up Immunizations for Children

Immunizations are a critical component of the well child management in pediatric patients, as they are responsible for the prevention of numerous serious diseases with devastating consequences even if adequately treated. While many providers are well versed in the standard immunization schedule for children, the care and management of under-immunized children may present itself a challenge. Join Dr. Shreeti Kapoor, a general pediatrician for over 25 years, and recent Pediatric Resident graduate, Dr. Monique Bailey as they discuss caring for under-immunized children. Specifically, they will:

• Review the recommended vaccination schedule for all children, with a focus on those aged 0-4 years.
• Discuss the CDC catch-up immunization schedule with examples from three different age groups.
• Consider the special case of catch-up vaccination for international adoptees as well as interpreting records containing other immunizations (e.g. BCG vaccine) from a few examples of international endemic areas.
• Review common causes of febrile illnesses in young, vaccinated and under-immunized children.
• Examine the treatment algorithm and recommended prophylactic antibiotic options for unvaccinated or under-immunized children.
• Special thanks to Dr. Leila Stallworth, Dr. Erica Sapp and Dr. Rebecca Yang for peer reviewing this episode.

FREE CME Credit (requires free sign-up): https://mcg.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=19511

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 17). Birth-18 years immunization schedule. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 17). Catch-up immunization schedule. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/catchup.html

Finkel, L. , Ospina-Jimenez, C. , Byers, M. & Eilbert, W. (2021). Fever Without Source in Unvaccinated Children Aged 3 to 24 Months. Pediatric Emergency Care, 37 (12), e882-e885. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002249.

Starr M. (2013). Paediatric travel medicine: vaccines and medications. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 75(6), 1422–1432. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.12035

NHS. (2019, April 26). BCG vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) overview. NHS choices. Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/bcg-tuberculosis-tb-vaccine/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, October 30). Typhoid vaccine information statement. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/typhoid.html#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20vaccines%20to,as%20an%20injection%20(shot)

Lopez, A. L., Gonzales, M. L., Aldaba, J. G., & Nair, G. B. (2014). Killed oral cholera vaccines: history, development and implementation challenges. Therapeutic advances in vaccines, 2(5), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/2051013614537819

Lee DID, Vanderhout S, Aglipay M, Birken CS, Morris SK, Piché-Renaud PP, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Maguire JL. Delay in childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can J Public Health. 2022 Feb;113(1):126-134. doi: 10.17269/s41997-021-00601-9

Kroger A, Bahta L, Hunter P. General best practice guidelines for immunization. Best practices guidance of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Special situations. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/special-situations.html