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Immunize​.org updates our entire adult vaccinations series with 1-page handouts for your patients

Immunize​.org recently updated its entire series of 1-page guides to vaccine recommendations for adults. Whether your patient is pregnant, has chronic lung disease, is missing a spleen, or has no specific risks, you will find a guide to vaccination suitable for them.

Where relevant, guides now incorporate:

• Vaccination against mpox
• Information on RSV vaccination 
• Use of MenABCWY as an option for adults needing both MenACWY and MenB vaccinations

Please be sure your practice uses the most current versions of each of the following:

• Vaccinations for Adults: You’re Never Too Old to Get Vaccinated!
• Vaccinations for Adults with Chronic Liver Disease or Infection 
• Vaccinations for Adults with Diabetes
• Vaccinations for Adults with Heart Disease 
• Vaccinations for Adults with HIV Infection 
• Vaccinations for Adults with Lung Disease 
• Vaccinations for Adults without a Spleen
• Vaccinations for Men Who Have Sex with Men 
• Vaccinations Needed During Pregnancy

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Adult Vaccination main page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria

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February is American Heart Month; certain vaccines are especially important for people with heart disease

February is American Heart Month, a time for people to focus on their cardiovascular health. Every year, thousands of people with heart or vascular disease experience serious complications from vaccine-preventable infections. You can help protect your heart and health through vaccination. Vaccines of particular importance for people with heart disease include: 

• COVID-19
• Influenza
• Pneumococcal 
• RSV (if age 60 years or older)

Related Links

• NFID: Vaccines and Heart Disease main page
• Immunize​.org: Vaccinations for Adults with Heart Disease (PDF) 

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Review your COVID-19 resources with the latest version of Immunize​.org’s “Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools” 

Immunize​.org updates the Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools at least monthly, prominently indicating when it was last revised at the top of the page. Revisions to the February 8 checklist include links to CDC’s updated materials for storage and handling of Pfizer-BioNTech’s 2023–2024 Formula Comirnaty vaccine supplied in either plastic or glass manufacturer-filled syringes (MFSs).

Storage requirement revisions include:

• Glass MFSs must be stored at refrigerated temperatures (2^o through 8^oC, 35^o through 46^oF) and should NOT be frozen
• Labels on individual glass syringes and their cartons prominently display a “DO NOT FREEZE” warning
• Plastic MFSs are shipped and may be stored at ultracold temperatures (–90^o through       –60^oC, –130^o through –76^oF)

To reflect these storage requirements, CDC updated its Pfizer-BioNTech 2023–2024 Formula COVID-19 vaccine At-A-Glance and Storage and Beyond-Use Date Tracking Labels resources.

All COVID-19 vaccine providers should review this checklist regularly. Download the latest documents and discard any outdated versions. The checklist is posted on Immunize​.org's Vaccines A–Z: COVID-19 main page to help practices stay up to date.

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Screening Checklists main page
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: COVID-19 main page
• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts: COVID-19 main page
• CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations main page summarizing use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States

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CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, provides a valuable picture of laboratory-confirmed influenza and influenza-like-illness (ILI) activity state by state. ILI activity is caused by a variety of respiratory illnesses, including three vaccine-preventable infections: influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.

Influenza Surveillance
For week 5, ending February 3, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView shows that 25 jurisdictions experienced high or very high activity. Nationwide, 4.4% of patient visits reported through the Outpatient Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) were due to respiratory illness that included fever plus a cough or sore throat (i.e., ILI). The national baseline is 2.5%. Eight pediatric influenza-associated deaths were reported this week, bringing the total to 74 pediatric deaths thus far during the 2023–24 season. 



RESP-NET
Visit the CDC Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) for weekly reports of hospitalizations across the United States due to three vaccine-preventable seasonal respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. 

Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shows that as of February 9, more than 36.5 million doses of flu vaccine were administered in pharmacies and nearly 24 million doses in medical offices (shown under Adult Vaccinations Administered). Vaccination appears to be lagging behind this time in 2022 in both sectors. Notably, coverage for all children is 3.3 percentage points lower this season compared with the same time last season (48.4% compared with 51.7%) and 9.9 percentage points lower compared with pre-pandemic coverage in January of 2020. Vaccination can still protect people now and as long as influenza remains active in your community.

CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Influenza and other vaccines (including COVID-19 and RSV vaccines) may be given at the same visit, if indicated. Infants age 6 months and older may receive influenza and COVID-19 vaccines at the same visit when they receive the RSV preventive antibody, nirsevimab.

Locate influenza and COVID-19 vaccines in your area by entering your zip code in the VaccineFinder on Vaccines.gov or Vacunas.gov. To be listed as a provider by VaccineFinder, see the information on this website.

Related Links

• CDC: Weekly National Flu Vaccination Dashboard main page
• CDC: FluView main page
• CDC: RESP-NET main page
• Immunize​.org: free clinical resources and patient handouts related to influenza
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines: Influenza main page
• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts: Influenza main page

Immunize​.org is pleased to renew four institutions’ Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll status, retaining their standing among 580 honorees. The birthing institutions are listed below with their reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses. 

• Fillmore County Hospital, Geneva, NE (93%) (2 years) 
• Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX (92%) (3 years) 
• Pratt Regional Medical Center, Pratt, KS (90%) (5 years) 
• Lowell General Hospital, Lowell, MA (94%) (6 years) 

The Honor Roll includes 580 birthing institutions from 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, and our U.S. military base in England. 

The Honor Roll is a key part of Immunize​.org’s initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give Birth to the End of Hep B. Hospitals and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage for hepatitis B vaccine at birth and meeting additional criteria. To learn whether your organization qualifies and to access the application form, please see Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online. 
 
Honorees receive an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for printing and framing. Their acceptance is announced through Immunize​.org’s social media channels and to IZ Express’s 54,000+ readers. 
 
Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and celebrates their vigorous efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission. 
 
Related Immunize​.org Resources 

• Give Birth to the End of Hep B main page  
• Fact sheet: Do You Qualify for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll? If So, Apply Today. 
• Handout on Immunize​.org’s campaign: Give Birth to the End of Hep B 
• Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page 

Immunize​.org recently updated two of its meningococcal resources:

• Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor
• Meningococcal: Questions and Answers

For both, references to Menactra (Sanofi) were removed following expiration of the last doses of this discontinued product. Information regarding the recommended use of MenABCWY (Penbraya, Pfizer) was added. A QR code linking to the online version of the document was added.

  

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Meningococcal: Questions and Answers (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria

In today’s story, we continue to spotlight our link to state-specific resources: State Immunization Websites and Additional State Resources. These can be found by choosing the Official Guidance menu tab at the top of every page, then selecting States from the lefthand list. 

The State Immunization Websites page (righthand list) provides links to state government websites with information about each state’s immunization program, as well as childcare, school, or college immunization requirements. Select a state name to expand its section. 



Additional State Resources connects you to important contact information for state immunization program managers, as well as other immunization contacts, including perinatal hepatitis B prevention coordinators, and Indian Health Service immunization contacts. Links to other useful government and nongovernment organization sites are also provided. 

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Confident recommendations for influenza vaccine from healthcare providers are powerfully persuasive. To assist you in maximizing protection for your patients, Immunize​.org, in collaboration with CSL Seqirus, updated the 65+ Flu Defense website.

Older adults are at increased risk of severe influenza and COVID-19 illness, including hospitalization and death, especially if they are not up to date on these vaccinations. An updated fact sheet on the website, The Importance of Preventing Influenza and COVID-19, offers responses to help guide discussions with patients on the importance of preventing influenza and COVID-19. 



This helpful site includes information, tools, and tips for communicating with adults age 65 and older about the scope and severity of influenza. Resources include:

• Influenza in Adults 65+: The Facts
• Influenza Vaccination: Questions Patients Aged 65 and Older Frequently Ask Their HCP
• The Importance of Preventing Influenza and COVID-19

Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population.

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National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) meetings are held three times a year. The meetings cover the most recent and pressing topics affecting the vaccine enterprise. NVAC is scheduled to meet February 22–23. Agenda topics include measles, vaccine innovation, shortages, school-entry policies, VFC, artificial intelligence, adult vaccination, immunization during pregnancy, and more. 

NVAC meetings are open to the public and can be viewed virtually. Preregistration is required for both public attendance and comment. 

View February 22–23 NVAC Meeting web page for more information.