CDC advisory panel stops short of broad recommendations for two key vaccines

A CDC advisory panel on immunization practices yesterday said that older adults — if they and their doctors should decide so — no longer need to get routinely vaccinated using Prevnar 13, which protects against meningitis and other bacterial illnesses. The panel also recommended that people ages 27 to 45 consult with their doctors about getting Gardasil, the HPV vaccine that protects against the virus that causes some forms of cancer. Currently, the vaccine is recommended for preteens, with catch-up vaccinations up until the age of 26.

At the same time, a large analysis of studies that looked at the effectiveness of HPV vaccination campaigns finds that such efforts are successful in reducing infections from the virus as well as cutting down on the presence of lesions that could have led to cervical cancer.