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Top Stories
Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources
Featured Resources
Notable Publications
Top Stories
CDC's Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory: increasing cases of invasive serogroup Y meningococcal disease in the United States
On March 28, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory: Increase in Invasive Serogroup Y Meningococcal Disease in the United States. The summary section appears below. Back to top
Reminder: CDC recommends suspending seasonal administration of nirsevimab (Beyfortus) for RSV immunization of infants and toddlers at the end of March in most jurisdictions
The 2023 ACIP recommendation for administration of nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi) long-acting monoclonal antibody product for prevention of RSV disease in infants and toddlers specifies administering nirsevimab seasonally, beginning October 1 and ending March 31 in jurisdictions with RSV seasonality typical of the contiguous United States. Facilities in most of the United States should suspend nirsevimab use at this time and prepare to resume administration in October 2024.
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Review Immunize.org’s “Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools”; updated CDC standing order templates for all COVID-19 vaccines now available Immunize.org's Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools has been revised to include links to CDC’s updated clinical resources incorporating the new recommendation for an additional dose of any 2023–2024 Formula COVID-19 vaccine for people age 65 years and older. The updated materials are:
In addition, the checklist provides a link to Immunize.org's updated Ask the Experts: COVID-19 main page. 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 Download the latest documents and discard any outdated versions.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.
Report on interim effectiveness of 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalizations in adults, published in MMWR CDC published Interim Effectiveness of Updated 2023–2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) COVID-19 Vaccines against COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization among Adults Aged ≥18 Years with Immunocompromising Conditions—VISION Network, September 2023–February 2024 on March 28 in MMWR. The abstract appears below. In this analysis, vaccine effectiveness (VE) of an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose against COVID-19–associated hospitalization was evaluated during September 2023–February 2024 using data from the VISION VE network. Among adults aged ≥18 years with immunocompromising conditions, VE against COVID-19–associated hospitalization was 38% in the 7–59 days after receipt of an updated vaccine dose and 34% in the 60–119 days after receipt of an updated dose. Few persons (18%) in this high-risk study population had received updated COVID-19 vaccine. All persons aged ≥6 months should receive updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccination; persons with immunocompromising conditions may get additional updated COVID-19 vaccine doses ≥2 months after the last recommended COVID-19 vaccine.
National Infant Immunization Week is April 22–29; prepare your promotion activities with CDC’s digital media toolkit
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 22–29, highlights the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrates the achievements of immunization partners. Since 1994, hundreds of communities have joined together during NIIW to celebrate the crucial role vaccination plays in protecting our children, communities, and public health.
Vaccinate Your Family (VYF), a leading national nonprofit organization focused on helping people get vaccinated, launched comprehensive updates to its website, VaccinateYourFamily.org. This Vaccine Safety Net (VSN)-certified site guides more than a quarter million visitors each year to science-based information. Visit the site to see the new homepage, a rebuilt Vaccine FAQ section (including popular videos), the Latest News main page, and downloadable resources.  Explore the updated VaccinateYourFamily.org for more. The Invisible Shield, a four-part documentary now airing on many public television stations and the PBS app, shows how public health saves lives
The Invisible Shield, a four-part documentary series from RadicalMedia, made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reveals how public health has saved countless lives, increasing lifespans and protecting people from the constant threat of disease.  View the trailer or stream The Invisible Shield on PBS.org. Influenza-like illness activity remains elevated but is decreasing nationally; vaccination is still encouraged
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 Vaccination Dashboard
When should vaccination proceed for patients who have symptoms of illness at the time of their visit? Watch the 1-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube. This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series addresses this common issue: We frequently see patients who are febrile or have an acute illness and are due for vaccinations. We are uncertain if we should withhold the vaccines or not. What do you advise? The video briefly describes that with a mild acute illness, with or without fever, a patient may still be vaccinated. In the case of a moderate or severe illness, a clinician should determine if vaccination should be deferred. Like, follow, and share Immunize.org’s social media accounts and encourage colleagues and others interested in vaccination to do likewise:
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources
Immunize.org updates its “Vaccine History Timeline” web page to include recent vaccine-related advances
Do you need to know the year that CDC made a vaccination recommendation or FDA approved a new vaccine? Immunize.org’s Vaccine History Timeline main page was updated to include new events related to vaccines and immunization. Back to top
Providing VISs to your patients in their own language increases their confidence in and understanding of vaccination. Immunize.org’s library of VIS translations includes 47 languages. At least 20 different VISs are available in 31 of those languages. You can access the VIS translations by searching for a specific language or by a specific vaccine. Most are translations of the current VISs. If a translation of the current VIS is not available, CDC states it is acceptable to use out-of-date VIS translations, accompanied by a current English version, when there have not been significant content changes.
Recap: Download the updated suite of Immunize.org vaccine storage and excursion response materials, including temperature logs and emergency response worksheets Immunize.org updated its entire suite of vaccine storage and response materials to align with the current CDC guidance for temperature monitoring in line with its Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit. They now accommodate two options for how to monitor temperatures in standard freezers or refrigerators, depending upon whether temperature monitoring is done with CDC-preferred continuous digital data loggers that display minimum and maximum temperatures (min/max), or other acceptable temperature monitoring devices without min/max displays. QR codes linking to online versions of the documents were added. Facilities using our temperature logs and vaccine storage emergency response worksheets should download these updated logs.
Below are the links to Immunize.org’s four temperature logs to help track proper vaccine storage and handling. Temperature logs are available for refrigerators and standard (not ultra-cold) freezers in Celsius or Fahrenheit formats.
Related Links
Recap: Immunize.org “Ask the Experts: COVID-19” web section updated with new recommendations for adults age 65 and older Immunize.org reviewed and updated its popular Ask the Experts: COVID-19 web page. Clinical questions and answers now reflect updates made by ACIP in February 2024, recommending administration of an additional dose of any 2023–2024 Formula COVID-19 vaccine for people age 65 and older at least 4 months after the most recent dose of 2023–2024 Formula COVID-19 vaccine. Updates were also made to VAERS reporting guidance, distinguishing between guidance for fully licensed products and products used under emergency use authorization. Immunize.org’s Ask the Experts main page leads you to 30 web pages on various topics with more than 1,300 common or challenging questions and answers about vaccines and their administration. Immunize.org’s team of experts includes Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH (team lead), Carolyn B. Bridges, MD, FACP, and Iyabode Beysolow, MD, MPH. Related Links
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Recap: Immunize.org updates “Meningococcal B Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor” to include optional use of pentavalent MenABCWY Immunize.org updated its one-page quick reference chart for healthcare providers, Meningococcal B Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor. The chart includes the option to use pentavalent MenABCWY (Penbraya, Pfizer) when both MenACWY and Trumenba brand MenB vaccines are indicated at the same visit.
Recap: Immunize.org updates “DTaP, Tdap, and Td Catch-Up Vaccination Recommendations by Prior Vaccine History and Age” to include CDC guidance for Td use in certain children younger than age 7 years
Immunize.org recently revised its 1-page guidance for healthcare professionals titled DTaP, Tdap, and Td Catch-Up Vaccination Recommendations by Prior Vaccine History and Age. References to DT vaccine, which is no longer available, were deleted. DT had been used in children younger than age 7 years who had a history of developing encephalopathy within 7 days after DTaP vaccination, not due to another cause. In this rare circumstance, CDC now recommends off-label use of Td vaccine, licensed for age 7 years or older, in these children who are younger than age 7, on the same schedule as would be followed to complete DTaP series. Related Links
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Recap: Immunize.org updates “Key Vaccination Resources for Healthcare Professionals” training guide organized by experience level
Immunize.org recently updated its Key Vaccination Resources for Healthcare Professionals 5-page training guide for providers. Minor edits were made to add new resources and update URLs. Review this resource to ensure you and your team are not missing out on vaccination training and resources to support your work.
Featured Resources
Voices for Vaccines releases podcast with Paul Offit, MD, discussing his new book on deciphering COVID-19 myths
Voices for Vaccines (VFV) posted a new entry in its Vax Talk podcast series: Tell Paul Offit When It's Over featuring Paul Offit, MD. A description from the VFV web page appears below. What caused SARS-CoV-2? Are vaccine mandates necessary? Is COVID here to stay? How can we protect ourselves in this new world? These are just some of the questions Dr. Paul Offit tackles in his new book Tell Me When It’s Over: An Insider’s Guide to Deciphering Covid Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World. Join us for this lively conversation about his book and the latest vaccine news. Back to top
It’s Adolescent Immunization Action Week! Use Unity Consortium’s toolkit to help adolescents get up to date on immunizations. This week is Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW24), the Unity Consortium's annual observance urging parents, healthcare providers, and adolescents to keep adolescents up to date on immunizations. Visit Unity’s AIAW24 campaign page for social media-ready materials you can use to draw attention to improving adolescent immunization coverage. Use the hashtag #AIAW24 to spread the word.  Unity’s password-protected toolkit includes graphics and a short article about the observance for emails, newsletters, or blogs. To access this, sign up at the bottom of the AIAW24 web page. 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 available and shipping now. We do anticipate selling out, so if you need some, do not delay!
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.
Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population. Explore the www.Give2MenACWY.org website to increase coverage for the meningococcal ACWY booster and other adolescent vaccinations
Immunize.org's www.Give2MenACWY.org website promotes the importance of adolescent vaccination, including the recommended MenACWY vaccine booster dose at age 16. Many teens are behind on vaccines because of the pandemic, so vaccine outreach is more important than ever. The website is divided into five easy-to-access sections:
The site also categorizes materials according to whether they are primarily of interest to providers, to adolescents, or to parents.
Notable Publications
“Text vs Patient Portal Messaging to Improve Influenza Vaccination Coverage: A Health System-Wide Randomized Clinical Trial” published in JAMA Internal Medicine
In the March 18 issue, JAMA Internal Medicine published Text vs Patient Portal Messaging to Improve Influenza Vaccination Coverage: A Health System-Wide Randomized Clinical Trial. Immunize.org's director for research, Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH, is an author. The key points appear below. Question: Can either patient portal or text message reminders to patients about influenza vaccination raise vaccination rates across a health system, and do text messages work better than portal messages? Findings: In this 3-arm randomized clinical trial that included 262,085 patients in 79 primary care practices, neither portal nor text message patient reminders were successful in raising overall influenza vaccination rates. Meaning: Health systems and health care professionals need to implement more intensive interventions than patient reminders to raise influenza vaccination rates. For more upcoming events, visit our Calendar of Events. |
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