- Six popular Immunize.org handouts for patients now available in seven additional languages
- “Early Estimate of Nirsevimab Effectiveness for Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization among Infants Entering Their First Respiratory Syncytial Virus Season—New Vaccine Surveillance Network, October 2023–February 2024” published in MMWR
- Review your COVID-19 resources with Immunize.org’s updated “Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools”
- March is Women’s History Month; Immunize.org celebrates the many contributions of women in vaccinology
- Immunize.org updates “Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them” resource for vaccinators and staff
- Immunize.org updates “Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens” handout for parents and guardians
- Charitable golf tournament, "6th Annual Stews Shootout," held in support of adolescent vaccination advocacy, benefits Immunize.org on April 6 in Indio, California
- The Meningitis B Action Project is now the American Society for Meningitis Prevention, dedicated to address the growing need for meningitis prevention education
- Influenza-like illness activity remains elevated nationally, with increases in some parts of the country; continue to offer flu vaccine
- “May Influenza Vaccines Be Given at the Same Time as Other Vaccines, including COVID-19 Vaccines?” Watch the 2-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
- Journalists interview Immunize.org experts
- Vaccines in the news
Top Stories
Six popular Immunize.org handouts for patients now available in seven additional languages Barriers to vaccination come down when patients have access to information about vaccines in their preferred language. For this reason, Immunize.org posted seven translations of six of our popular patient handouts. The following tables provide direct links to the translations for each resource. Please download and use these with your patients.
All translations are available in print-ready format.
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“Early Estimate of Nirsevimab Effectiveness for Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization among Infants Entering Their First Respiratory Syncytial Virus Season—New Vaccine Surveillance Network, October 2023–February 2024” published in MMWRCDC published Early Estimate of Nirsevimab Effectiveness for Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization among Infants Entering Their First Respiratory Syncytial Virus Season—New Vaccine Surveillance Network, October 2023-February 2024 on March 7 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization among U.S. infants. In August 2023, CDC recommended nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, to protect infants aged <8 months against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection in their first RSV season. . . .
Nirsevimab effectiveness was 90% against RSV-associated hospitalization in infants in their first RSV season. Median time from receipt of nirsevimab to symptom onset was 45 days . . .
To reduce the risk for RSV-associated hospitalization, infants should be protected by maternal RSV vaccination or infant receipt of nirsevimab.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
Related Links
Review your COVID-19 resources with Immunize.org’s updated “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 March 6 checklist include links to several CDC resources (including Interim Clinical Considerations, Emergency Use Instructions, and Vaccination Infographics) that were updated to reflect CDC’s latest recommendation that people age 65 years and older receive an additional dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, the update provides direct links to Immunize.org's seven new translations of its screening checklists for contraindications to vaccines for children/teens and adults.
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.
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March is Women’s History Month; Immunize.org celebrates the many contributions of women in vaccinology March is Women's History Month and Immunize.org acknowledges the important contributions of women to vaccinology. Since the beginning of the vaccine era, women contributed to vaccine science and vaccination programs globally. We celebrate women who made trailblazing contributions in vaccinology, including:
- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain and Western Europe in 1721
- Anna Wessels Williams isolated the reference strain of diphtheria used to develop the first diphtheria antitoxin and later a diphtheria toxoid in the 1890s. She developed a quick test to diagnose rabies in 1902.
- Margaret Pittman recognized in 1931 that type b of Haemophilus influenzae was a major cause of disease
- Ida A. Bengtson developed the complement fixation test in the 1920s, which was used to standardize units of biological activity for botulinum, gas gangrene, and other antitoxins
- Pearl L. Kendrick and Grace Elderling researched pertussis in the 1940s, tested their vaccine first on themselves, and ran a successful clinical trial, resulting in the first vaccine against pertussis. Loney Clinton Gordon aided their efforts.
- Dorothy Horstmann showed that poliovirus reaches the brain through the blood in the 1940s
- Clara I. Nigg codeveloped botulinum toxoids in 1947
- Isabel M. Morgan and her team proved that inactivated viruses could produce immunity in the 1940s; her work led the development of Salk's polio vaccine in 1955
- Brigitte Alice Askonas's work on antibodies and T-cells in the 1950s informed research to improve vaccines
- Ruth L. Kirshstein helped develop tests to assure the safety of viral vaccines against polio, measles, and rubella in the 1950s–1970s
- Deborah Wexler founded the Immunization Action Coalition (now Immunize.org) in 1991
- Katalin Karikó’s decades of scientific research into RNA made mRNA-based vaccines, beginning in 2020 with the first COVID-19 vaccines; she received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this work
- Özlem Türeci coled the development of BioNTech/Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in 2020
- Kizzmekia Corbett helped develop COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in 2020
- Lisa Jackson led the world's first COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in 2020
These are a few of the countless women contributing to vaccine development and the success of vaccination programs worldwide.
The contributions of all the women who work tirelessly to advance vaccine science, policy, and program implementation are deeply appreciated.
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Immunize.org updates “Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them” resource for vaccinators and staff Immunize.org recently updated Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them to incorporate Valneva's Ixchiq vaccine to prevent disease caused by the chikungunya virus.
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Immunize.org updates “Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens” handout for parents and guardians Immunize.org recently updated its parent handout, Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens, to note that RSV vaccine is recommended during pregnancy, along with other vaccines indicated during pregnancy.
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Charitable golf tournament, "6th Annual Stews Shootout," held in support of adolescent vaccination advocacy, benefits Immunize.org on April 6 in Indio, California Immunize.org is honored once again to be the beneficiary of the 16th annual charitable golf event, at The Golf Course at Terra Lago – North Course in Indio, CA, on April 6. Hosts Michelle and Casey Stewart, formerly with the National Meningitis Association, launched this major charitable event to raise awareness and funds for adolescent vaccination advocacy.
Those who want to participate virtually may purchase a golf ball for a chance to win. Every $10 tax-deductible donation buys you a golf ball and a chance to win up to $2,500 if your ball lands closest to the hole after it drops from the helicopter.
Visit Stews Shootout and Golf Ball Drop web page for more information.
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The Meningitis B Action Project is now the American Society for Meningitis Prevention, dedicated to address the growing need for meningitis prevention education
The Meningitis B Action Project is now the American Society for Meningitis Prevention (ASMP).
Patti Wukovits and Alicia Stillman, who each lost young, healthy daughters to meningitis B, cofounded the Meningitis B Action Project in 2017. Since then, the meningitis prevention landscape has evolved in the United States with several complex policy changes, new vaccination options, and growing educational needs across a wide range of stakeholders. These changes spurred the launch of ASMP to bring clarity to increasingly complex meningitis prevention issues.
ASMP aims to empower people to take action to prevent meningococcal meningitis with comprehensive vaccination against five types of meningococcal bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis: A, B, C, W, and Y.
ASMP focuses on:
- Educating adolescents, young adults, and their parents about how to prevent meningitis
- Mobilizing providers to prioritize comprehensive meningitis prevention
- Achieving comprehensive national, state, and school meningitis prevention policies
- Improving equitable access to meningitis prevention
- Catalyzing a national network of meningitis advocates
Visit the ASMP website at meningitisprevention.org for more information. The website includes new educational materials, including those for the new meningitis pentavalent vaccine, available for download and ordering.
If you are interested in partnering with ASMP, contact [email protected].
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Influenza-like illness activity remains elevated nationally, with increases in some parts of the country; continue to offer flu vaccine
CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, provides a valuable picture of laboratory-confirmed influenza and influenza-like illness activity state by state.
Influenza Surveillance
For week 9, ending March 2, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView shows that 20 jurisdictions experienced persistent high or very high activity. Nationwide, 4.1% 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%. Ten pediatric influenza-associated deaths were reported this week, bringing the total to 103 children who died of influenza thus far during the 2023–2024 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 24, coverage estimates for all children for the 2023–2024 season are 2.9 percentage points lower this season compared with the same time last season (50.7% compared with 53.6%). Coverage this season so far is 9.1 percentage points lower compared with pre-pandemic coverage at the same time in February 2020 (60.3%).
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.
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“May Influenza Vaccines Be Given at the Same Time as Other Vaccines, including COVID-19 Vaccines?” Watch the 2-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series is May Influenza Vaccines Be Given at the Same Time as Other Vaccines, including COVID-19 Vaccines? The video briefly describes CDC’s clinical guidance for the use of COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines. Any vaccine may be given on the same day or any day before or after COVID-19 vaccination, at a different anatomic site.
The 2-minute video is available on our YouTube channel, along with our full collection of quick video answers to popular Ask the Experts questions.
Like, follow, and share Immunize.org’s social media accounts and encourage colleagues and others interested in vaccination to do likewise:
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Journalists interview Immunize.org experts Journalists seek out Immunize.org experts to help explain vaccines to the public and policy makers. We help the media understand and communicate the complex work vaccinators do. Here is another recent citation.
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources
Recap: Immunize.org posts new Spanish translations of four resources on improving the vaccination experience
Immunize.org posted new Spanish translations of four patient resources on improving the vaccination experience. Use these to help anxious patients of all ages and increase their confidence in accepting vaccination. The resources include:
   
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Recap: Immunize.org posts new Spanish translations of two popular patient and caregiver handouts
Immunize.org posted new Spanish translations of two popular documents for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers. Translated handouts are:
 
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Recap: Immunize.org updated these clinical resources in January and February IZ Express regularly provides readers with information about Immunize.org’s new and updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and handouts for patients. All Immunize.org materials are free to distribute.
In case you missed them during recent weeks, updates were made to these helpful materials:
Immunize.org Updated Materials for Clinicians
- Tools to support vaccine administration
- Checklists, questionnaires, and worksheets
Immunize.org Updated Materials for Patients
- Questions and answers—information about diseases and vaccines: Meningococcal
- For pediatric patients
- For adult patients
Immunize.org Web Pages
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page to see educational materials sorted by category
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts main page to access more than 1,300 questions answered by Immunize.org experts
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Spotlight on the website: Visit our webinar and video library
Immunize.org offers a variety of video content for staff enrichment, presentations, and sharing on social media or your website. Find all options under the Clinical Resources tab on the menu bar at the top of every page. Simply select Webinars & Videos from the bottom of the left menu on the Clinical Resources tab. From the “Webinars & Videos” home page, you can choose the tab option to view either webinars or videos.
- Sixty video shorts (most 4 minutes or less)
- Answers to 42 popular Ask the Experts questions (1–3 minutes each) on a wide variety of topics, including adult hepatitis b recommendations, minimum immunization intervals, polio, COVID-19, and influenza
- Six videos on Improving the Vaccination Experience (3–4 minutes each) provide healthcare providers or caregivers with science-based methods to reduce vaccine recipients’ pain and anxiety levels during vaccination
- Thirteen videos from trusted partners include topics such as vaccines and autism, and how vaccines help babies’ immune systems
- Nine webinars (about an hour each): dive deeper into select topics with experts who provide practical and insightful sessions, such as:
Featured Resources
Place your order! Sturdy, laminated versions of the 2024 U.S. immunization schedules from Immunize.org now shipping. Laminated versions of the 2024 U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule and the 2024 U.S. adult immunization schedule are now available for order in the Immunize.org shop. The schedules are shipping now.
While the schedules are available online from CDC at no cost, Immunize.org’s printed, laminated booklets are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given.
- Durable: their tough coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use
- Format: each schedule is produced in a 16-page, 8.5” X 11” booklet format; with color coding for easy reading, our laminated schedules replicate the original CDC formatting, including all tables and notes
- Easy access to CDC updates: CDC added an online addendum page to the schedule, where new recommendations from ACIP made during 2024 can be posted. The laminated schedule addendum pages include custom QR codes you can scan to view or print the current CDC addendum from CDC's website, as needed.
- Adult schedule bonus content: the adult schedule includes a bonus page with Immunize.org’s popular 1-page handout summarizing the dose, route, and needle size recommendations for all vaccines and recipients
 
Pricing
1 copy: $10.00
2–4 copies: $9.50 each
5–19 copies: $8.50 each
20–99 copies: $7.50 each
100–499 copies: $6.00 each
500–999 copies: $5.00 each
1,000–1,999 copies: $4.00 each
2,000+ copies: $3.25 each
Visit the Shop Immunize.org: Laminated Schedules web page to view images of all the pages, to download the order form, and to order today!
For additional information, call 651-647-9009 or email [email protected].
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Updated 65+ Flu Defense website offers resources for healthcare professionals serving older adults 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:
Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population.
Notable Publications
“Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake” published in PediatricsIn the February 26 issue, Pediatrics published Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake. A portion of the conclusion section appears below.
Implementation of evidence-based techniques for increasing vaccination uptake may be all that is needed to convince many hesitant parents to vaccinate their children. . . . For parents who remain reluctant to vaccinate their child, a strong recommendation from the pediatrician may convince them of the importance of vaccination. For others, more detailed conversations may be necessary, and communication techniques such as motivational interviewing show promise as effective frameworks for the vaccine conversation. Ultimately, there are some parents who will refuse vaccination even after lengthy conversations. . . .
Improving vaccine uptake can best be accomplished in the course of clinical practice through open communication and discussion between the pediatrician and the parents. Because most parents agree to vaccinate their children, this dialogue, which can be started as early as the prenatal interview visit, is an ongoing process. Providing vaccine-related information before the first immunization visit may permit parents to clearly formulate their concerns so that they can be fully addressed by the pediatrician. Working with parents who have questions about vaccines is a wonderful opportunity to build rapport and trust with a family and, ultimately, protect their children from the scourge of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“COVID-19 Outcome Trends by Vaccination Status in Canada” published in Canada Communicable Disease ReportIn the January/February 2024 issue, Public Health Agency of Canada published COVID-19 Outcome Trends by Vaccination Status in Canada in the Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR). A portion of the CCDR abstract appears below.
From mid to late-2021, incidence rates for cases and severe outcomes were consistently lowest among those with a completed primary series and highest among those who were unvaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals were much more likely to be hospitalized or to die compared to those with a completed primary series in all variant periods. . . .
Vaccination remains one of the most important public health interventions, particularly among older adults, to protect against COVID-19 severe outcomes as the pandemic evolves.
Related Link
- Health Canada: CCDR main page
“Adaptive Immune Responses Are Larger and Functionally Preserved in a Hypervaccinated Individual” published in Lancet Infectious DiseasesIn the March 4 issue, Lancet Infectious Diseases published Adaptive Immune Responses Are Larger and Functionally Preserved in a Hypervaccinated Individual. A portion of the article appears below.
Here, we report on a 62-year-old male hypervaccinated individual from Magdeburg, Germany (HIM), who deliberately and for private reasons received 217 vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 within a period of 29 months . . . our case report shows that SARS-CoV-2 hypervaccination did not lead to adverse events and increased the quantity of spike-specific antibodies and T cells without having a strong positive or negative effect on the intrinsic quality of adaptive immune responses. While we found no signs of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in HIM to date, it cannot be clarified whether this is causally related to the hypervaccination regimen. Importantly, we do not endorse hypervaccination as a strategy to enhance adaptive immunity.
Upcoming Events
Virtual: NFID hosts webinar titled “Updates from February 2024 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Meeting” on March 20 at 1:00 p.m. (ET); CME credit available
NFID will host a webinar titled Updates from February 2024 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Meeting, 1:00–2:00 p.m. (ET) on March 20. NFID Medical Director Robert (Bob) H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, will moderate the webinar with a presentation by Jessica R. MacNeil, MPH, ACIP Deputy Executive Secretary, CDC, who will discuss the latest updates regarding U.S. vaccination recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults.
CME credit is available. There is no fee to participate in this activity, but preregistration is required.
Register for the webinar.
NFID hosts monthly webinars to increase awareness of the importance of infectious disease prevention and treatment. CME, CNE, and CPE credit are available for select recordings. View all archived NFID webinars.
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Virtual: Unity Consortium hosts webinar "Staying on TASK: New Trends in Vaccination for Adolescents" moderated by Rachel Levine and Chelsea Clinton promoting Adolescent Immunization Action Week 2024 on April 2 at 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Save the date! In-person: CDC’s National Immunization Conference 2024 will take place August 12–14 in Atlanta; now accepting abstracts through April 19.
Mark your calendars! CDC will host its National Immunization Conference 2024 (NIC) on August 12–14 in Atlanta, GA. Program content will cover science, policy, education, and implementation issues related to immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases. The conference will also feature dynamic speakers from a range of backgrounds and experiences, offering continuing education for a variety of professions.
Abstracts are now being accepted through April 19. Notification will be in mid-June. View abstract submission guidelines.
Registration will open soon.
See CDC's National Immunization Conference 2024 website for more information.
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