What should healthcare providers do for their patients who have or will receive a cochlear implant?
Healthcare providers should review the vaccination records of their patients who have cochlear implants and ensure that they are up-to-date on pneumococcal vaccination based on the schedule used for persons at high risk and on Hib vaccination. Pneumococcal vaccination recommendations for people with cochlear implants can be viewed in the table within the MMWR article, Pneumococcal Vaccination for Cochlear Implant Candidates and Recipients: Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. See also Hib vaccination recommendations. Persons scheduled to receive a cochlear implant should be up-to-date on vaccinations, including pneumococcal vaccination for persons at high risk, two or more weeks before surgery when possible. A provider may also administer the Hib booster two or more weeks before cochlear implant surgery to children ages 12-59 months who have not completed their Hib series if the minimum interval between doses has been met. For more information ab
