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Vaccine Schedules

Vaccine Schedules

This webpage details the specific guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding vaccine schedules for childhood, adolescent, and adults. This page will also highlight travel vaccine recommendations, and interim COVID-19 vaccine schedules.

Who Sets the Vaccine Schedule

As part of its mission to promote health and prevent disease, against vaccine-preventable diseases. CDC publishes written recommendations for vaccinating children and adults in the United States. CDC collaborates with medical and public health experts to review data on all newly licensed vaccines as well as existing vaccines. The majority of the collaboration is between the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP includes vaccine experts, scientists, doctors, and public health professionals.147

 

The team meets three times and year to discuss vaccine recommendations. The major topics discuss include:147

  • How safe and effective the vaccine is when given at a specific age
  • The severity of the disease the vaccine prevents
  • How many people get the disease if there is no vaccine
  • How well the vaccine helps the body produce immunity to the disease
  • Number of doses of each vaccine
  • Timing between each dose
  • Age when infants and children should receive the vaccine
  • Precautions and contraindications (who should not receive the vaccine).
How a vaccine is added to the U.S. Recommended Imm Schedule

 

The childhood and adolescent schedules are also approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.147

The adult schedule is also approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

What are the Vaccine Schedules?

young boy with bandage on shoulder

Child and Adolescent Vaccine Schedules
young man with bandage on shoulder

Adult Vaccine Schedules

Travel Vaccines Recommendations

Routine vaccinations protect from infectious diseases that can spread quickly in groups of unvaccinated people. Many diseases prevented by routine vaccination are not common in the United States but are still common in other countries.

Check CDC’s webpage for your destination to see what vaccines or medicines you may need and what diseases or health risks are a concern at your destination.160

For specific locations that administer travel vaccines, refer to the Resources for Families: Travel Clinics webpage within this toolkit

Interim COVID-19 Schedules for Ages 6 Months and Older

CDC is streamlining its COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19.161

To access the COVID-19 schedule for persons 6 months of age and older, view the CDC COVID-19 schedule pdf.

As time evolves, the CDC will shift according to research. To ensure access to the latest COVID-19 information, including schedules- please reference the CDC- COVID-19 Home Page.24