CDC published Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season on August 29 in MMWR Recommendations and Reports. A portion of the summary appears below. 

All persons should receive an age-appropriate influenza vaccine (i.e., one approved for their age), with the exception that solid organ transplant recipients aged 18 through 64 years who are receiving immunosuppressive medication regimens may receive either high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV3) or adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV3) as acceptable options (without a preference over other age-appropriate IIV3s or RIV3). Except for vaccination for adults aged ≥65 years, ACIP makes no preferential recommendation for a specific vaccine when more than one licensed and recommended vaccine is available. ACIP recommends that adults aged ≥65 years preferentially receive any one of the following higher dose or adjuvanted influenza vaccines: trivalent high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV3), trivalent recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV3), or trivalent adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV3). If none of these three vaccines is available at an opportunity for vaccine administration, then any other age-appropriate influenza vaccine should be used.



Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Links

• CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
• CDC: ACIP Recommendations: Influenza (Flu) Vaccine main page
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: Influenza main page

• Individuals 12 years of age and older who have never been vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive two doses of this updated [Novavax] vaccine, 3 weeks apart
• Individuals who have been vaccinated only with one dose of any Novavax COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive one dose of the updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine at least 3 weeks after the previous dose
• Those who have been vaccinated with a prior formula of a COVID-19 vaccine from another manufacturer or with two or more doses of a prior formula of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive a single dose of the updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after the last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine

• FDA: FDA Authorizes Updated Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine to Better Protect against Currently Circulating Variants (8/30/24)
• FDA: Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2024–2025 Formula)
• CDC: Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States: Interim Clinical Considerations

Back to top

Immunize​.org updated its popular Ask the Experts: RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) web page to reflect the 2024 ACIP recommendations for RSV vaccination of older adults. Content has been updated to include the newest RSV vaccine, the mRNA vaccine, mResvia (Moderna). The content also now addresses the recently published updated ACIP recommendations for older adults, including the routine recommendation for one dose of RSV vaccine for all adults age 75 years or older and the recommendation for one dose of RSV vaccine for adults age 60 through 74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease.

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; Iyabode Beysolow, MD, MPH; and Jane R. Zucker, MD, MPH.

Related Link

• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts main page with more than 1,300 questions and answers

Immunize​.org updated its Vaccinations for Adults: You’re Never Too Old to Get Vaccinated! This handout now includes the recently updated recommendations for routine RSV vaccination of adults age 75 years and older, as well as risk-based recommendations for adults age 60–74 years. Information on pneumococcal vaccines was reworded for greater clarity.

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

Immunize​.org updated its Spanish translations of screening checklists for the 2024–25 influenza season.

• Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Injectable Influenza Vaccination (view in English)
• Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Live Attenuated Intranasal Influenza Vaccination (view in English)

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: Influenza main page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Screening Checklists main page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Spanish Translations main page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria

CDC’s Bridge Access Program to provide COVID-19 vaccination for uninsured or underinsured adults ended in August 2024 due to a loss of funding. Limited federal funds have been made available to state public health departments to support the purchase some of the 2024–25 updated COVID-19 vaccines for this population.
 
In the absence of the Bridge Access Program, uninsured adults seeking the 2024–25 COVID-19 vaccine should contact their state or local health department immunization programs for additional information about affordable access options in their area.
 
The 2024–25 COVID-19 vaccines remain accessible with no out-of-pocket cost through in-network vaccination providers to Medicaid and Medicare recipients and to adults with commercial insurance compliant with the Affordable Care Act. Children and teens younger than age 19 years who are uninsured or underinsured, or American Indian or Alaska Native, continue to have access to these vaccines at no cost through the federal Vaccines for Children program.

Immunize​.org is pleased to share a new version of Introducing Immunize​.org, a 3-minute video introducing our website, that shows you how the new mobile version of the site looks on your smartphone. This video provides a quick overview of our organization, mission, website, and the resources we offer to support effective immunization practices.

Available now on our YouTube channel, this is part of our new Orientation Video Series. Each orientation video will be made available in a horizontal version (formatted for desktops) and a vertical version (for smart phones) to help you become familiar with the new look and navigation of the website.

Please share this video with anyone who needs to learn how to get the most out of Immunize​.org’s website to support effective immunization practices.

Like, follow, and share Immunize​.org’s social media accounts and encourage colleagues and others interested in vaccination to do likewise.

• Facebook at ImmunizeOrg
• Instagram at ImmunizeOrg
• LinkedIn at ImmunizeOrg
• YouTube at ImmunizeOrg

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 a selection of our recent citations.

• Salon: New COVID Vaccines Have Arrived Just as a Vaccine Equity Program Is Ending (8/28/24)
• KFF Health News: The New COVID Vaccine Is Out. Why You Might Not Want to Rush to Get It. (8/26/24)

These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.

• Pharmacy Times: Immunization Awareness Month Highlights the Role of Pharmacies (8/29/24)
• Axios: Vaccine Hesitancy Eats into Back-to-School Shots (8/27/24) 
• Time: You’re More Likely to Get Heart Issues from COVID-19 than the Vaccine (8/26/24)  
• STAT: To Stop Mpox from Becoming the Next Pandemic, We Must Address Global Vaccine Inequities (8/17/24)  

Immunize​.org updated all the questions and answers on its popular Ask the Experts: Pneumococcal web page. The clinical content now reflects updated recommendations for PCV21 vaccine (Capvaxive, Merck) as an option for adults age 18 years or older who are recommended to receive a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Hyperlinks were also updated as needed.

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; Iyabode Beysolow, MD, MPH; and Jane R. Zucker, MD, MPH.

Related Link

• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts main page with more than 1,300 questions and answers

Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress (CVEEP), led by the Alliance for Aging Research, HealthyWomen, and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, released its Stay Updated campaign. This promotion highlights the importance of receiving updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines this season. This campaign offers fact sheets, an informational poster, a glossary of virology terms, and an information sheet on milestones in COVID-19 vaccination. 



Visit CVEEP's Stay Updated campaign to learn more about the need for updated vaccines and access resources to encourage your community to stay protected.

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.

Materials on this colorful website for healthcare professionals incorporate the 2020 ACIP meningococcal vaccine recommendations and coverage statistics from CDC’s National Immunization Survey–Teen (NIS–Teen). One particularly popular resource on the site is the Algorithm for MenACWY Immunization in Adolescents 11 through 18 Years of Age.

The website is divided into five easy-to-access sections:

• Vaccinate Teens – Teen vaccination schedules and tips for improving vaccination rates
• Give 2 Doses – Tools to help improve second dose coverage of MenACWY vaccine
• 16-Year-Old Visit – Resources to help providers and patients remember the important vaccines recommended for 16-year-olds
• Tools for Providers – Tools to explain meningococcal ACWY vaccine recommendations and improve coverage for all adolescent vaccines
• Resources – Links to print materials, organizations involved in adolescent vaccination, personal stories about the importance of vaccination, and other resources of interest

The site also categorizes materials according to whether they are primarily of interest to providers, to adolescents, or to parents.

Visit Give2MenACWY.org and enjoy browsing (and deploying) its bountiful resources.

Related Links 

• Give2MenACWY.org website
• Algorithm for MenACWY Immunization in Adolescents 11–18 Years of Age
• MenACWY: You're Not Done If You Give Just One: Give 2 Doses to Strengthen Protection
• Recommending MenACWY: What to Say and How to Say It
• Top 10 Ways to Improve Adolescent Immunization Rates
• Developing an Immunization Culture in Your Office
• Know Your Rates: Measuring Immunization Success in Your Practice
• You're 16: We Recommend These Vaccines for You
• Dear Colleague Letter: 16-Year-Old Patients: Make Sure They Receive Their Annual Well Visit and Vaccinations – signed by six medical societies
• Ask the Experts: Meningococcal ACWY
• CDC: ACIP Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations
• CDC: Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years—National Immunization Survey–Teen, United States, 2023

In its August 23 issue, Clinical Advisor published Back to School Means Updating Childhood Vaccines. This article was written by Immunize.org’s Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, DNP, FAANP. The introduction paragraph appears below.

The lazy, crazy days of summer are drawing to a close and it is time to start thinking about back to school and all that entails to prepare students to optimize their health. Vaccines can be number one on the list. We need to take a serious look at how the number of children who receive all necessary vaccines for school has dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic began its devastating march around the world. The immunization rates are even lower in children who are eligible for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. This federal program provides no-cost vaccines to children who are uninsured or are Medicaid eligible. In some states VFC also covers children whose insurance does not cover vaccines. It is time to review what vaccines are indicated to keep all students healthy and practice some infection prevention.