Podcast

PUPC Recap—Up to Date: What's New in Immunizations for Primary Care in 2026

Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, CPNP, FAANP

Key Highlights

  • The AAP pediatric immunization schedule remains largely unchanged from 2025, with an updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for children 23 months of age and younger.
  • Maintaining the hepatitis B birth dose was emphasized as a major public health priority and achievement.
  • New meningococcal vaccine options include a 5-valent vaccine covering serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y.
  • Clinicians should address vaccine hesitancy with dignity, respect, kindness, and clear science-based communication.

Additional Resource: https://www.hmpglobalevents.com/pupc 

Pediatric vaccine guidance remains focused on maintaining science-based immunization practices while helping clinicians address vaccine hesitancy in conversations with families, according to Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, in a PUPC 2026 recap. Koslap-Petraco emphasized that the AAP pediatric immunization schedule has not changed substantially from 2025, aside from an updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for children 23 months of age and younger, and highlighted the importance of preserving the hepatitis B birth dose, understanding new meningococcal vaccine options, and using respectful, evidence-based communication to help parents make informed decisions about vaccination.

Transcript

Consultant360: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our PUPC recap. Today, we'll be speaking with Dr. Mary Koslap-Petraco, who is a clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook School of Nursing in Stony Brook, New York.

Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP: Welcome. I'm Dr. Mary Koslap-Petraco. I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner. I am a clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook University School of Nursing, where I teach in the primary care pediatric nurse practitioner track. I am also a nurse consultant for immunized.org, and I have my own private practice, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners House Calls. After working for Suffolk County Department of Health Services for 30 years, where I practiced as a primary care nurse practitioner, and I ran the immunization and lit programs, but if you ask what my identity is, I'm a public health nurse.

Consultant360: What are some of the key themes of your presentation?

Koslap-Petraco: Well, I'm really grateful that we were asked to do this presentation this year, because some of the key themes in the presentation are some of the things that we want providers to be aware of, such as AAP is continuing to follow the science, and the schedule has not changed. The AAP’s (American Academy of Pediatrics) schedule for children is basically the same as it was last year, in 2025. The only real update was their change in COVID-19 vaccine for infants, which is making the COVID-19 vaccine recommended for all children 23 months of age and younger, and of course, discussions with parents and offering it to anyone else who would like to have it.

Some of the other things that were really important this year were that we are maintaining the birth dose for hepatitis B, which is very important. It's one of the biggest public health achievements we've ever seen because we've literally wiped out hepatitis B in adults who were vaccinated as children because of this vaccination at birth. Another thing that we're going to be covering are the new combination vaccines for meningitis, and another part of the meningitis issue is that AAP continues to recommend it for all 11 to 12-year-olds with a second dose at 15 years of age, but we now have an option of a 5-valent or meningitis A, B, C, W, Y vaccine. So, I think those are some of the most important things, and then of course, talking to parents about vaccine hesitancy. We need to remember it's not the parents' fault. They've been sold a bill of goods; we need to treat parents with dignity and respect, kill them with kindness, and answer their questions.

Consultant360: Why is this topic particularly relevant right now?

Koslap-Petraco: Well, vaccines are extremely relevant right now because of the fear that's been engendered in parents these days, and they are hesitating to vaccinate. I don't want anyone to think that this vaccine hesitancy is well accepted by parents, because it's not. Most parents want to vaccinate their children, but in some communities there has been a drop in vaccine acceptance, and what it has led to are vaccine preventable disease outbreaks, such as measles, that we've seen lately. Measles is a killer. It really damaged my own sister, measles that she had as a young child. I don't want to see anyone else's family going through things like that. We saw one case of polio a couple of years ago in an unimmunized person, so the next thing that we were concerned about is HIB. We had two HIB deaths this year. I don't remember, and I am mature enough to remember a lot of things, the last time we saw a child die from HIB, so that's why we really are so grateful to be able to put an emphasis on vaccines this year.

Consultant360: What are the most important takeaways from your session?

Koslap-Petraco: I think the most important takeaways from my session are let's stick to the science, and that's what the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Practice, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are all doing together. They have harmonized their schedules, and they are doing a superb job educating families about the importance of vaccines and sticking with the science to protect our children.

Consultant360: What gaps in our knowledge do you feel still remain on this topic?

Koslap-Petraco: I think some of the gaps are…sometimes it's really hard to keep up with everything. I think [to close] some of the gaps in our knowledge [we need to make] sure that we do adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule. I know AAP has done a marvelous job getting the word out, but I think another gap in our knowledge base is how to talk to parents. I mean, I’ve heard both sides of this issue. Some providers are saying, "Oh gosh, this is terrible. Why are these parents even questioning us?” I say to them all the time that they're questioning because they hear all of these myths and disinformation. It's our job as healthcare providers to answer the parents' questions with dignity and respect, treat them with kindness—kill them with kindness—because it's not their fault, and also getting the word out about the different paradigms that are out there for speaking with parents, and I think that's really important to emphasize to all providers.

 Like I said, most of the providers I've spoken to are following the American Academy of Pediatrics’ schedule. AAP is marvelous at doing their job and getting the word out. I think the big issue is how to treat parents with dignity and respect and not to blame them for the questions that they have. I have heard from the pediatricians that it's really tough trying to get that information across to parents in this very short period of time. So, I want to emphasize the importance of everybody working in the offices where children are being vaccinated, that it's everybody's job to talk to parents about vaccines with dignity, with respect, and answer their questions using the best available science, but also telling stories about what happens when children are not vaccinated. I tell those stories all the time about my own family because I have tons of stories about what happens to children when they're not vaccinated.

Consultant360: Is there anything else that you'd like to add?

Koslap-Petraco: What I'd like to add is that we have lots of studies, and another one just came out today, mentioning how important nurses are in conveying this information to families. Nurses are the number one respected profession for at least the past 23 years here in the United States, and patients listen to the nurses, and they respect and want to hear what the nurses have to say, regardless of what their affiliations are. So, I think we need to use our nurse power to help the very best way we can: by listening to patients, respecting their opinions, and giving them good information so that they can make good choices for the health of their children.

Consultant360: Thank you for joining us today, Dr. Koslap-Petraco. For more vaccine and immunization content, visit Consultant360.com.

 

This transcript was edited for clarity. 

 

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