Recommended immunization schedule for adults aged 19 years or older, United States, 2018

The Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years or Older, approved by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) last fall, is in effect for 2018. Changes from the 2017 schedule include new guidance governing the use of recombinant zoster vaccine for older adults and the use of an additional third dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in the event of mumps outbreak. Additional vaccines on the schedule include those for hepatitis A and B, varicella, influenza, and human papillomavirus, among others. ACIP offers recommendations for each based on age, medical comorbidities, and contraindications, with considerations for specialized populations. The goal is to make adult immunization routine practice by encouraging clinicians to evaluate vaccination standing of adult patients at each clinical visit; recommend and provide those vaccines as needed; and document vaccine administration in local or state information systems, which can aid in clinical decisionmaking both at the point of care and on a broader level. Used prudently and consistently, these systems also can improve clinical and preventative health care services while lowering the burden of illness, hospitalization, and death related to vaccine-preventable disease among adults. The 2018 schedule has been accepted by the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.