Featured Priority: Adult Immunization
Adult vaccination rates remain low in the United States. This leaves adults vulnerable to the heavy toll vaccine-preventable diseases take on health and productivity. We work with partners so more adults can get the vaccines recommended for them.
National Adult Immunization Plan and Path to Implementation
To boost adult immunization rates, the first-ever National Adult Immunization Plan (NAIP) was released in 2016. This plan includes input from diverse stakeholders and outlines national strategies to:
- Overcome barriers to adult immunization
- Strengthen vaccination infrastructure
- Improve adult vaccination rates
Its companion document, National Adult Immunization Plan: A Path to Implementation:
- Facilitates action on the goals outlined in the NAIP
- Identifies 8 implementation priorities
- Suggests ways to support each priority
Making Adult Immunization Routine
To reinforce immunization as a routine part of health care, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) updated the Standards for Adult Immunization Practice in 2013. These standards encourage providers to:
- Assess adults’ immunization needs at every clinical encounter
- Strongly recommend necessary vaccines
- Administer recommended vaccines or refer patients to the appropriate provider
- Document the vaccines patients receive in a state or local vaccine registry
National Adult Immunization and Influenza Summit
OIDP co-chairs the National Adult Immunization and Influenza Summit in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC). Key summit goals include:
- Expanding access to vaccines for adults
- Reducing health disparities in adult immunization
- Developing strategies for educating providers and patients
- Establishing standard ways to measure progress toward adult immunization goals
Related Resources
Explore these additional resources related to adult immunization:
- Overcoming Barriers and Identifying Opportunities for Developing Maternal Immunizations describes NVAC’s recommendations to promote maternal vaccination
- Update on the NVAC Standards for Adult Immunization Practice has information about important changes in NVAC’s recommendations for adult vaccination
- CDC’s Surveillance of Vaccination Coverage Among Adult Populations has information about adult vaccination rates