Is the zoster vaccine still required under the new vaccination criteria?
No. Zoster does not meet the new vaccination criteria set by CDC and is no longer required for the immigrant medical exam. Zoster is not known to cause outbreaks. Thus, it does not meet the new CDC vaccination criteria. CDC will use the new vaccination criteria for vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to decide which vaccines will be required for U.S. immigration. The criteria will be used at regular periods, as needed. The criteria are: • The vaccine must be age-appropriate* for the immigrant applicant • The vaccine must protect against a disease that has the potential to cause an outbreak. • The vaccine must protect against a disease that has been eliminated or is in the process of being eliminated in the United States. *ACIP recommends vaccines for a certain age range in the general U.S. public. These ACIP recommendations will be used to decide which vaccines are age-appropriate for the general immigrant population.
