On August 19, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published its own evidence-based childhood and adolescent immunization schedule. AAP has a history of publishing its own schedule for childhood immunization going back to the 1930s. Although AAP endorses the CDC recommended schedule as originally published in November 2024, it has withdrawn its support for the CDC schedule as amended in 2025 and currently posted by CDC.

The new AAP schedule differs from the most current CDC recommendations regarding influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. For RSV, there are no differences between the current CDC and AAP schedules.

For influenza, both CDC and AAP recommend annual vaccination of all children age 6 months and older. However, AAP continues to recommend, in the absence of evidence of harm, that age-appropriate influenza vaccine products packaged in multidose vials containing thimerosal as a preservative are an acceptable option for any child.

For COVID-19, CDC’s schedule currently recommends optional childhood vaccination based upon shared clinical decision-making and has no recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. AAP’s schedule calls for routine vaccination of all young children age 6 through 23 months, routine vaccination of specific older children at high risk, and routine vaccination during pregnancy.

The schedule is also available in Red Book Online, the AAP’s clinical guidebook for infectious disease prevention and treatment. To ensure it is easily accessible, AAP will publish a parent-friendly version on HealthyChildren.org and AAP.org.  

Related Links

• AAP: Press Release: The American Academy of Pediatrics Releases Its Own Evidence-Based Immunization Schedule (8/19/25)
• AAP: Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules for Ages 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2025
• AAP: Fact Checked: Children’s Health, Not Financial Incentives, Guides Pediatricians’ Immunization Recommendations

CDC published Respiratory Syncytial Virus Immunization Coverage Among Infants Through Receipt of Nirsevimab Monoclonal Antibody or Maternal Vaccination—United States, October 2023–March 2024 in the August 21 issue of MMWR. Readers will note that the results of this CDC survey estimated significantly lower coverage than a CDC internet panel survey published in September 2024, covering a similar time period. Differences may be related to bias toward inflated self-reported coverage in the internet survey or suppressed coverage rates due to the incompleteness of records in immunization information systems (IIS), or both. In either case, there are many opportunities for improvement in coverage in the coming season. The summary of this IIS survey appears below.

Cross-sectional analysis of data from IISs representing 33 states and the District of Columbia found that 29% of infants born during October 2023–March 2024 were immunized against RSV through receipt of nirsevimab or through maternal RSV vaccination during pregnancy in the 2023–24 respiratory virus season, the first season that these products were available. State-specific immunization coverage from nirsevimab or maternal vaccination ranged from 11% to 53%. . . .

Continued efforts are needed to increase infant RSV immunization coverage and reduce associated morbidity. IISs are population-based data sources that can be used to monitor jurisdiction-level coverage.

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications

Updated resources are available from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help you prepare for influenza vaccine purchasing, billing, and payment during the 2025–26 season. In the August 21 issue of MLN Connects, CMS published information about seasonal influenza vaccine pricing for the 2025–26 season. In addition, the updated CMS Flu Shot web page includes helpful information on vaccination frequency and coverage, billing resources, and ICD-10, CPT, and other relevant codes. 

Related Link

• CMS: MLN Connects Newsletter Archive

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), an annual observance that highlights the importance of on-time vaccination, is winding down. However, the need to share accurate and understandable messages about immunization continues to grow.

Multiple partners offer resources, including social media messages, that you can use in your immunization communication.

• Voices for Vaccines' (VFV) NIAM 2025 web page includes key messages and sample social media content, organized by week, to focus positive public attention on immunizations. 
• Immunize Canada and Vaccine Ambassadors partnered on an NIAM campaign, which includes images, posters, and social media content.
• Vaccinate Your Family's #FirstDayVax campaign reminds families that vaccines should be part of every back-to-school checklist. Find the shareable assets in the #FirstDayVax toolkit, also available in Spanish.

In addition to these resources, consider sharing some of the new resources from LetsGetRealAboutVaccines.org.

In its August 13 issue, JAMA Network published Video and Infographic Messages from Primary Care Physicians and Influenza Vaccination Rates. This was coauthored by Immunize​.org’s director for research, Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH. Although these interventions were found to have no effect on influenza immunization rates in adults, they did have a positive effect on influenza immunization rates in children. Portions of the abstract appear below.

This 3-arm randomized clinical trial included patients from 6 months to older than 65 years of age served by 21 primary care physicians in 21 practices at UCLA Health who were listed in the electronic health record as not receiving influenza vaccination between October 31, 2023, and April 1, 2024. . . .

Patients within each physician patient population were randomized to receive usual care or a physician-created video or an infographic with their physician’s photograph encouraging receipt of influenza vaccinations. Primary care physicians used a suggested script to create a brief video with their smartphone or a video conference recording, or an infographic containing their photograph and a similar script was created, both encouraging patients to receive influenza vaccinations. The video or infographic was sent via the patient portal up to 3 times (October, November, and December). . . .

In this randomized clinical trial, neither physician-created videos nor infographics increased influenza overall vaccination rates by April 1, 2024. However, among children, both interventions were effective by end of influenza season. Messages personalized by physicians may represent a potential strategy to improve influenza vaccination among children, but further innovations are needed across the entire age spectrum.

To learn simple tips and tricks for using our website efficiently, please register for our next set of Website Office Hours on Wednesday, September 10, at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or Thursday, September 11, at 12:00 p.m. (ET). The same content will be covered in both sessions. 
 
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