Immunization News and Resources for Health Care Professionals from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases has compiled a comprehensive list of resources on strategies to improve immunization rates. This news and resource page is updated frequently. AAP membership or subscriber login may be required to access some links.
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Immunization News |
- Low rates of routine immunizations
- Vaccination rates dropped globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 25 million children missing their childhood immunizations worldwide: As Child and Adolescent Immunization Rates Hit Historic Lows Due to Pandemic, AAP Urges Parents to Check on their Child’s Immunizations and to Vaccinate Against COVID (News Release | AAP)
- Falling immunization rates means that we could see more preventable disease outbreaks, as more people begin traveling once again.
- Catch-up Immunization Schedule for Children, Birth-18 Years | CDC
- Whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy benefits US infants
- CDC scientists tracked reports of 57,460 infant whooping cough cases between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019, and found Tdap vaccination during pregnancy helps protect newborns from whooping cough during their first two months of life, when they are most vulnerable to the disease.
- Polio outbreak
- Case of paralytic polio caused by vaccine derived poliovirus type 2 in unvaccinated resident in New York, July 2022
- Poliovirus found in samples from 5 New York counties: https://health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-09-09_polio_immunization.htm
- Incompletely vaccinated persons at risk
- Polio vaccination rates in affected counties low (58-62%; state average 79%): https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/polio/county_vaccination_rates.htm
- US polio vaccination rate: 92.5%
- Measles cases on the rise
- During January–September 2019, 1,249 U.S. measles cases were reported, the highest annual number since 1992. National Update on Measles Cases and Outbreaks — United States, January 1–October 1, 2019 | MMWR | CDC
- As of June 27, 2024, a total of 159 measles cases were reported by 23 jurisdictions.
Source: Measles Cases and Outbreaks | CDC
Immunization Rates in the United States |
Vaccine Communication* |
Use a Strong Vaccine Recommendation and the Presumptive Format for Initiating the Vaccine Discussion
A strong presumptive recommendation from a pediatrician is the primary reason someone will get a vaccine. Pediatricians play a crucial role in immunizing children and are a trusted source for vaccine information. How you introduce the vaccine when talking with patients and families leverages this trust and may lead to more conversation. Research shows that an effective communication strategy is to presume that parents and caregivers are ready to have their kids vaccinated. For example, “Now that Laura is 12, she’s due for three vaccines today that protect against meningitis, HPV cancers and pertussis.” Or “Sam is due for two shots today.”
Addressing Common Concerns
Pediatricians are the most common source of vaccine information for parents, are the most trusted source for vaccine-safety information, and can positively influence a parent’s vaccine behavior, even among parents with concerns about vaccines. Some vaccine-related facts that pediatricians may use when discussing vaccines with parents can be found below. How those facts are communicated is also important. It is important to establish an honest dialogue, take time to listen, and solicit and welcome questions.
Common Misconceptions and Myths About Immunizations
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Claims |
Facts |
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“Natural” methods of enhancing immunity, such as contracting the disease and breastfeeding, are better than vaccinations. |
Vaccinations are the safest way to achieve immunity; having immunity the “natural way” means being sick with a potentially very serious infectious disease. Immunity from a preventive vaccine provides protection against disease when a person is exposed to it in the future. That immunity is usually similar to what is acquired from natural infection, although several doses of a vaccine may have to be administered for a child to develop an adequate immune response. Although breastfeeding has many benefits, including immunologic, it does not provide anywhere near the same level of protection from vaccine-preventable diseases as vaccines. |
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Giving multiple vaccines at the same time causes an “overload” of the immune system. |
Vaccination does not overburden a child’s immune system; the recommended vaccines use only a small portion of the immune system’s “memory.” Although the number of unique vaccines administered has risen over recent decades, the number of antigens administered has decreased because of advances in science and manufacturing. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has concluded that there is no evidence that the immunization schedule is unsafe. |
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Vaccines are ineffective. |
Vaccines have spared millions of people the effects of devastating diseases. |
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Before the use of vaccinations, these diseases had begun to decline because of improved nutrition and hygiene. |
In the 19th and 20th centuries, some infectious diseases began to be better controlled because of improvements in sanitation, clean water, pasteurized milk, and pest control. However, vaccine-preventable diseases decreased dramatically after the vaccines for those diseases were approved and were administered to large numbers of children. |
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Vaccines cause poorly understood illnesses or disorders, such as autism, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), immune dysfunction, diabetes, neurologic disorders, allergic rhinitis, and eczema. |
These claims are false. Multiple, high-quality scientific studies have failed to substantiate any link between vaccines and these health conditions. See NAM reports. |
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Vaccines weaken the immune system. |
Vaccines actually strengthen the immune system. Vaccinated children have decreased risk of infections. Importantly, natural infections like influenza, measles, and varicella (chickenpox) can weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of other infections. |
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Giving many vaccines at the same time is untested. |
New vaccines are tested in concomitant use studies with existing vaccines that are administered on the same or overlapping schedule. These studies are performed to confirm that new vaccines do not affect the safety or effectiveness of existing vaccines administered at the same time and that existing vaccines administered at the same time do not affect the safety or effectiveness of new vaccines. |
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Vaccines can be delayed, separated, and spaced out without consequences. |
Many vaccine-preventable diseases occur in early infancy. Optimal vaccine-induced immunity may require a series of vaccines over time. Any delay in receiving age-appropriate immunization increases the risk of diseases that vaccines are administered to prevent. Spacing out vaccines may also have psychological consequences, because many more office visits will be associated with injections. |
Access additional vaccine communication information and tools: Communicating with Families and Promoting Vaccine Confidence
*Source: O’Leary ST, Opel DJ, Cataldi JR, Hackell JM; American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Infectious Diseases, Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, Committee on Bioethics. Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake. Pediatrics. 2024;153(3):e2023065483
Additional Immunization Resources |
AAP Policy
- Red Book
- Immunization Information Systems
- Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake
- Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care and School Attendance
- Influenza Immunization for All Health Care Personnel: Keep It Mandatory
AAP Professional Tools and Resources
- Administering Immunizations in Your Practice
- RSV Immunization
- Influenza Vaccination
- COVID-19 Vaccination
- HPV Vaccination
- Pneumococcal Vaccination
- Measles Vaccination
HealthyChildren.org
AAP Childhood and Adolescent Vaccine Education Series
- YouTube series featuring AAP member pediatricians answering common questions about children’s vaccinations and tips on finding correct information online.
