ACIP’s new recommendations include HibMenCY in infants, Tdap in pregnant women

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The federal panel that develops recommendations on the use of vaccines to prevent and control infectious diseases and protect the public health came out with new immunization recommendations for the use of Tdap in pregnant women and meningococcal vaccination in infants, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Media Advisory Oct. 24.The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted today 13 to 1, with 1 abstention, to recommend that infants at increased risk for meningococcal disease should be vaccinated with 4 doses of HibMenCY at 2, 4, 6, and 12 through 15 months.HibMenCY is a vaccine for the prevention Haemophilus influenzae type b and Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and Y, common causes of serious bacterial meningitis infections.The committee says infants with recognized persistent complement pathway deficiencies and infants who have anatomic or functional asplenia including sickle cell disease are at increased risk and should receive the vaccine regimen.In addition, the vaccine can be used in infants ages 2 through 18 months who are in communities with serogroup C and Y meningococcal disease outbreaks.The ACIP also voted unanimously (14-0, with one abstention) to recommend that providers of prenatal care implement a Tdap immunization program for all pregnant women.This new recommendation expands the ACIP's June 2011 recommendation that, among pregnant women, only those who have not had the Tdap vaccine should receive it.The panel says health-care personnel should administer a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy irrespective of the patient’s prior history of receiving Tdap. If not administered during pregnancy, Tdap should be administered immediately postpartum.According to an email media release from the CDC, officials say, “By getting Tdap during pregnancy, maternal pertussis antibodies transfer to the newborn, likely providing protection against pertussis in early life, before the baby starts getting DTaP vaccines. Tdap will also protect the mother at time of delivery, making her less likely to transmit pertussis to her infant. If not vaccinated during pregnancy, Tdap should be given immediately postpartum, before leaving the hospital or birthing center.”The ACIP consists of 15 experts who are voting members and are responsible for making vaccine recommendations. Fourteen of the members are experts in a scientific discipline such as virology and immunology. The 15th member is a consumer representative who provides perspectives on the social and community aspects of vaccination.Their recommendations are forwarded to CDC’s Director for approval. If the ACIP recommendations are approved by the CDC Director, they will be published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and represent the official CDC recommendations for immunizations in the U.S.; until then, they are considered provisional.For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page