Vaccination of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: report from the international consensus conference on clinical practice in chronic GVHD.

Patients lose protective immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Therefore, revaccination of HSCT recipients represents an important strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality associated with these infections. Since there is little consensus on vaccine recommendations and practices for allogeneic HSCT recipients with active chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) the German-Austrian-Swiss-Consensus Conference on Clinical Practice in Chronic GVHD developed an immunization schedule with the aim to provide optimal patient care. The proposed vaccine recommendations include immunization against Haemophilus influenzae type b, pertussis, pneumococci, meningococci, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps and rubella, influenza, poliomyelitis, varicella-zoster virus, human papilloma virus, and tick-borne encephalitis with a particular focus on vaccination of patients with active chronic GVHD.