Guidelines and Recommendations

This notice updates the recommendation for use of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) among children aged 24-59 months who are either unvaccinated or who have a lapse in PCV7 administration. In February 2000, PCV7, marketed as Prevnar and manufactured by Wyeth Vaccines (Collegeville, Pennsylvania), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in infants and young children. At that time, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that children aged 24-59 months who have certain underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised receive PCV7. In addition, ACIP recommended that PCV7 be considered for all other children aged 24-59 months, with priority given to those who are American Indian/Alaska Native or of African-American descent, and to children who attend group day care centers. The recommendation also provided schedules for administering PCV7 to children aged 24-59 months who were either unvaccinated or who had a lapse in PCV7 administration; these schedules included 1) 1 dose of PCV7 for healthy children, and 2) 2 doses of PCV7 > or =2 months apart for children with certain chronic diseases or immunosuppressive conditions.