Vaccination Guidelines 2024 Latest Version

Priority should be given to completing the full process of vaccination within the national immunization program, and non-immunization program vaccines should be selected based on one's own exposure risk and health status. Those with immune deficiencies/underlying diseases should consult the infectious disease department/preventive health care doctor in advance before vaccination. There is no need to pursue "full vaccine coverage", and there is no need to overly reject non-immunization program vaccines.

Last week, I was in the community prevention and protection department to help the elderly at home get the flu vaccine appointment number. I met an aunt who asked the nurse if she could get all the HPV, shingles, pneumonia, and influenza vaccines this month. She said she saw a short video saying, "If you get all the vaccines, you will save three trips to the hospital a year." Speaking of which, many people's understanding of vaccines is still at the stage of "only children need to be vaccinated". In fact, the coverage of the National Immunization Program in 2024 has long been expanded to all age groups: influenza vaccine for people over 60 years old and live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine in 12 provinces and cities including Shanghai and Jiangsu are included in the scope of free vaccination this year. Adults who are negative for hepatitis B surface antibodies can also go to the community to get three free hepatitis B shots based on their physical examination report without spending their own money.

As for whether to take non-immunization program vaccines that require self-pay, there is currently no unified answer in the industry, and the opinions of professionals from different positions are quite different. Most of the scholars who do health economics research in the field of public health are "benefit-first" people. The vaccines with the highest input-output ratio calculated by calculation are must-recommend: it is recommended for people over 50 years old to get the herpes zoster vaccine regardless of whether they have underlying diseases. After all, anyone who has had it knows how uncomfortable post-herpetic neuralgia is that "pains so much that you want to hit the wall" ； It is recommended for both men and women between the ages of 9 and 45 to take the HPV vaccine. Now the nine-price vaccine has been extended to the age of 45. If you can’t get the nine-price vaccine, the protection effect of the second-price and four-price vaccine will not be much different. ； Those who have children at home and often go to crowded places should get a flu shot every autumn, and those who often eat out and eat raw food should get a hepatitis A vaccine. The cost of treatment and suffering from these diseases is far more than the few hundred yuan of the vaccine.

Among people with allergies, autoimmune diseases, or immune deficiencies, the more popular view is the "risk-sensitive" view: Unless there is a high risk of exposure, there is no need to take additional non-immune scheduled vaccines. I have a friend who suffers from severe dust mite allergy and asthma. Two years ago, he followed the trend and got a regular flu vaccine. He had a rash and fever all over his body for two days. Now, if he takes any self-funded vaccine, he must first do an antibody test and then do a skin test for the vaccine ingredients. He never gets it just by reading what is said on the Internet. After all, the vaccine itself mobilizes the immune system to work. For people whose immune status is unstable, rash vaccination may trigger an overreaction in the body, which is not worth the gain.

This year's guidelines have also made adjustments to the vaccination intervals of different vaccines. There is no need to stick to the 28-day deadline as before: inactivated vaccines can basically be vaccinated at the same time, such as influenza and pneumonia, HPV and hepatitis B. You only need to inject them in different arms. There is no need to make two trips.； Only live attenuated vaccines such as measles, mumps, rubella, and herpes zoster vaccine need to be administered at least 14 days apart from other live attenuated vaccines. In the past, many pregnant women were afraid that vaccinations would affect their fetuses. This year's guidelines also clearly stated that pregnant women with inactivated influenza vaccines, high-endemic COVID-19 vaccines, and hepatitis B antibody negative can be vaccinated normally. Instead, they can provide passive antibodies to the fetus. Only live attenuated vaccines are explicitly prohibited for pregnant women. As for the statement online that "everyone will receive a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2024," there is no need to believe it. The official recommendation is that ordinary people who have had a positive reaction or received a booster shot in the past 6 months do not need to be vaccinated again. Only high-risk groups with serious underlying diseases need to consult a doctor before getting vaccinated.

In the past two years, I have helped more than a dozen friends around me organize vaccination plans. To put it bluntly, vaccines are small insurance for your health. There is no need to regard it as a KPI that must be completed, and don’t think that everything will be fine after taking it. I once met an older brother who still had a fever after receiving a flu vaccine. He came to the community to cause trouble, saying that the vaccine was fake. In fact, he went out and stayed up late drinking every day after receiving the vaccine. With his immunity low, no protection was of any use. The one that suits you is the best. If you are really not sure, spending more than ten yuan to contact the community prevention and security department to ask questions is more reliable than reading ten short videos.