Home Administrative Billing & Reimbursement BlueCard® Health and Wellness Medical PEAR portal Pharmacy Products Quality Management

New screening and vaccination recommendationsfor children

January 31, 2012

[

Several new screening and vaccine recommendations for HIV, cholesterol, and human papillomavirus (HPV) have been released for the pediatric population.

HIV screening

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published new recommendations for screening children for HIV. The new recommendations include routine screening for adolescents in areas where HIV prevalence in the patient population exceeds 0.1 percent and in emergency departments and urgent care facilities in high-prevalence areas. Visit the Pediatrics website (the "Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics") for more information.

Cholesterol screening

The National Institutes of Health recommend that children be routinely screened for high cholesterol to identify early risks of developing heart disease in adulthood. The new guidelines, supported by the AAP, also include recommendations to optimize cardiovascular health, beginning with breastfeeding and protecting children from tobacco smoke. The complete list of recommendations is available on the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website.

HPV vaccination

New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for administering the HPV vaccine to male children as young as nine years. The recommendations define eligible age groups and the type of HPV vaccine that should be administered (bivalent or quadrivalent). For more information, read the Vaccines to Prevent Human Papillomavirus document on the CDC website.

]

This content was prepared for the Provider News Center and may not be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of Independence Blue Cross. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Connect with us     Facebook     Twitter     Flickr     YouTube     Walk the Talk    Independence Pinterest    Independence LinkedIn    Independence Instagram Site Map        Anti-Fraud        Privacy Policy        Legal        Disclaimer
© 2023 Independence Blue Cross.
Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, serving the health insurance needs of Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania.