Purpose
Guide health care providers in determining contraindications and precautions for each vaccine type.
How to use the schedule
To make vaccination recommendations, healthcare providers should:
- Determine recommended vaccine by age (Table 1 - By Age)
- Assess need for additional recommended vaccinations by medical condition or other indication (Table 2 - By Medical Condition)
- Review vaccine types, dosing frequencies and intervals, and considerations for special situations (Notes)
- Review contraindications and precautions for vaccine types (Appendix)
- Review new or updated ACIP guidance (Addendum)
Appendix – Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used Vaccines
Adapted from Table 4-1 in Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization: Contraindication and Precautions, Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2023–24 Influenza Season, Contraindications and Precautions for COVID-19 Vaccination, and Contraindications and Precautions for JYNNEOS Vaccination.
COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines
- When a contraindication is present, a vaccine should NOT be administered. Kroger A, Bahta L, Hunter P. ACIP General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization.
- When a precaution is present, vaccination should generally be deferred but might be indicated if the benefit of protection from the vaccine outweighs the risk for an adverse reaction. Kroger A, Bahta L, Hunter P. ACIP General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization.
- Vaccination providers should check FDA-approved prescribing information for the most complete and updated information, including contraindications, warnings, and precautions. See Package inserts for U.S.-licensed vaccines.
- See package inserts and FDA EUA fact sheets for a full list of vaccine ingredients. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contain polyethylene glycol (PEG).
Other Vaccines
- When a contraindication is present, a vaccine should NOT be administered. Kroger A, Bahta L, Hunter P. ACIP General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/contraindications.html
- When a precaution is present, vaccination should generally be deferred but might be indicated if the benefit of protection from the vaccine outweighs the risk for an adverse reaction. Kroger A, Bahta L, Hunter P. ACIP General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/contraindications.html
- Vaccination providers should check FDA-approved prescribing information for the most complete and updated information, including contraindications, warnings, and precautions. Package inserts for U.S.-licensed vaccines are available at www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/approved-products/vaccines-licensed-use-united-states.
- For information on the pregnancy exposure registries for persons who were inadvertently vaccinated with Heplisav-B or PreHevbrio while pregnant, please visit heplisavbpregnancyregistry.com/ or www.prehevbrio.com/#safety.