Vaccination Guidelines for Children
Preferred Vaccination Option
- The American College of Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that for any dose at age ≥48 months (4 years), use of MMRV vaccine is generally preferred over separate injections of MMR and varicella vaccines 1, 2, 3, 4
- The ACIP specifically recommends ProQuad (MMRV) for a 5-year-old child who has already received MMR but never received varicella vaccine, as it is the preferred option 1, 2, 3, 4
Key Clinical Considerations
- The increased risk of febrile seizures associated with MMRV only applies to children aged 12-23 months receiving their first dose of measles-containing vaccine 1, 2, 3, 4
- Postlicensure studies demonstrated that children aged 4-6 years who received MMRV had no increased risk for febrile seizures compared to those receiving separate MMR and varicella vaccines 1, 2, 3, 4
- A child who has never received varicella vaccine requires varicella immunization regardless of their MMR status 5
Vaccination Schedule
- The child requires 2 doses of varicella-containing vaccine total 5
- The minimum interval between varicella doses is 3 months for children 12 months through 12 years 5
- Giving ProQuad now serves as the second MMR dose and first varicella dose, and a second varicella-containing vaccine dose should be given 3 months later 1, 2, 5