Immunize.org updates eight patient handouts promoting vaccinations for adults
Immunize.org recently updated its series of one-page vaccination guides for adults generally, men who have sex with men, and adults with any of six chronic health conditions. Where relevant, guides now also incorporate the latest recommendations for:
- Adults who may need mpox vaccine
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for all adults age 50 and older
The revised handouts for adults are listed below.
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“Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel—National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2023–24 Respiratory Virus Season” published in MMWR
CDC published Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel—National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2023–24 Respiratory Virus Season on October 31 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
During the 2023–24 respiratory virus season, influenza vaccination coverage was 80.7% among acute care hospital personnel and 45.4% among nursing home personnel. Coverage with 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccination was 15.3% among acute care hospital personnel and 10.5% among nursing home personnel. . . .
Respiratory viral diseases pose risks for health care personnel in U.S. health care settings, and vaccination is an effective strategy for maintaining a healthy workforce and improving health care system resiliency.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
“Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations Among Children and Adults—Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, United States, 2010–2023" published in MMWR
CDC published Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations Among Children and Adults—Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, United States, 2010–2023 on October 31 in MMWR. Portions of the Abstract appear below.
During the 2010–11 to 2022–23 influenza seasons, laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalization rates varied significantly across seasons. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalization rates per 100,000 population ranged from 8.7 (2011–12) to 102.9 (2017–18) and had consistent seasonality. After SARS-CoV-2 emerged, the hospitalization rate for 2020–21 was 0.8, and the rate did not return to recent prepandemic levels until 2022–23. Inconsistent seasonality also was observed during 2020–21 through 2022–23, with influenza activity being very low during 2020–21, extending later than usual during 2021–22, and occurring early during 2022–23. . . . During each season, adults aged ≥65 years consistently had the highest influenza-associated hospitalization rate across all age groups, followed in most seasons by children aged 0–4 years. Black or African American and American Indian or Alaska Native persons had the highest age-adjusted influenza-associated hospitalization rates across these seasons. . . . Consistently across each season, the most common underlying medical conditions among children and adolescents were asthma, neurologic disorders, and obesity. The most common underlying medical conditions among adults were hypertension, obesity, chronic metabolic disease, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
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“Statewide Outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup Y, Sequence Type 1466—Virginia, 2022–2024” published in MMWR CDC published Statewide Outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup Y, Sequence Type 1466—Virginia, 2022–2024 on October 31 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
Meningococcal disease is a serious illness; U.S. outbreaks are uncommon. Vaccination of a defined population at risk (e.g., college students or persons experiencing homelessness) is recommended during outbreaks. . . .
In a Virginia outbreak, 36 cases of serogroup Y meningococcal disease occurred during August 2022–March 2024; seven (19.4%) patients died. Most patients were aged 30–60 years, an age group not generally at increased risk for meningococcal disease. Patients lacked common exposures or affiliations. Vaccination was recommended for close contacts within the patient age range. . . .
Occurrence of meningococcal disease outbreaks in populations without well-defined risk groups might prompt exploration of novel control strategies, such as selective vaccination of close contacts.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
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FDA publishes consumer update describing its role in ensuring safe and effective influenza vaccines On October 23, FDA published an update for consumers, titled FDA’s Critical Role in Ensuring Safe and Effective Flu Vaccines. It describes how FDA works closely with sister agencies and manufacturers to ensure influenza vaccines are safe and effective. The update also describes how the process of making flu vaccines is a year-round effort that starts well before the current season ends, and that getting vaccinated annually is the single best way to protect against the flu.
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Influenza disease activity is low nationally; get vaccinated before families gather for the holidays
The 2024–25 U.S. influenza season is underway and now is the time to vaccinate. For the third week of the 2024–25 influenza season, week 43, ending October 26, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, shows low respiratory illness activity nationally.
RESP-NET
Visit the CDC Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) for weekly reports of hospitalizations 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 October 12, 2024, 23.9% of pregnant people received flu vaccine, unchanged from the same period in 2023. Vaccination coverage was highest among non-Hispanic Asian pregnant people (36.1%) and lowest among non-Hispanic Black pregnant people (16.4%).
CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Influenza and other vaccines (e.g., COVID-19, RSV) may be given at the same visit, if needed. 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 (Beyfortus, Sanofi). Identify pharmacies in your area that may offer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines by entering a zip code in the VaccineFinder on Vaccines.gov or Vacunas.gov.
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"What to Do If an Infant Is Given RSV Vaccine in Error?” 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 is What to Do If an Infant Is Given RSV Vaccine in Error? This medication error has been reported in clinics that stock both RSV vaccine for adults and RSV preventive antibody for infants (nirsevimab, Beyfortus, Sanofi). The bottom line is to administer the correct product, Beyfortus, as recommended as soon as feasible. Clinics that stock both types of products should train staff on protocols and clearly label products in storage units to prevent this type of error.
The 1-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.
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources
Spotlight on the website: "Ask the Experts" topics and subtopics
This week, we continue highlighting our popular “Ask the Experts” section. This resource provides more than 1,300 practical answers to questions from healthcare professionals about vaccines and vaccine administration. Content is divided into two categories:
- Vaccine Topics—22 specific vaccines
- General Topics—10 vaccination-related categories
Larger topics feature subcategories to assist with your search.
Look at the left navigation menu. If there is a carat (>) next to the topic, click to expand the list of subcategories available. Clicking on a subcategory such as “Vaccine Recommendations” will filter results.
Browse the resulting questions or narrow your results with keyword search (marked 1 in the image above) or by choosing filters (2). Select the “Hide All Answers/Show All Answers” button (3) to hide or expand answer content. In the illustration above, “Hepatitis A,” followed by “Vaccine Recommendations,” and the keyword “Twinrix” produces two results.
Recap: Immunize.org posts its first clinical resource translations in Punjabi, including screening checklists for contraindications to vaccines and "Record of Vaccine Declination"
Immunize.org continues to expand its clinical resource translations with three resources now available in Punjabi. The three translations were generously donated by California’s Fresno County Department of Public Health Immunization Program.
 
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Recap: Immunize.org updates "Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination" resource for healthcare professionals
Immunize.org updated its Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination resource for healthcare providers. Content was reviewed and several URLs were updated due to recent changes to the CDC website.
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ACOG releases new materials to support healthcare professionals in recommending RSV prevention through maternal vaccination or infant immunization
ACOG released updated guidance for clinicians regarding use of Pfizer’s RSV vaccine, Abrysvo, during pregnancy. CDC recommends a single dose of Abrysvo for eligible pregnant patients between 32 weeks and 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation who do not have a planned delivery within 2 weeks. In most of the contiguous United States, pregnant patients at this gestational stage are eligible to receive Abrysvo from September 2024 through January 2025. Those eligible for Abrysvo are those who have never received a dose of RSV vaccine and are not planning to have their infant receive the RSV preventive antibody, nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi).
Clinicians should counsel patients that either Abrysvo during pregnancy or infant receipt of Beyfortus is a safe and effective way to prevent severe RSV disease in infants.
Use ACOG's materials to talk about receiving routine vaccines during pregnancy: RSV, COVID-19, influenza, and Tdap.
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National STEM/STEAM Day is November 8. Use Immunize.org and partner resources to help youth learn about vaccines.
To observe National STEM/STEAM Day on November 8, Immunize.org compiled a list of educational resources on vaccines and the immune system. Share these credible resources for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Elementary School Resources
- CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes elementary school lesson plans (revised 2018), videos, and 3-D animations. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards, this content describes in an age-appropriate way how the immune system works and how vaccines prevent disease.
- CHOP’s Vaccine Resources for Kids and Teens main page (revised in 2017) includes:
- My Vaccine Activity Book (PDF, 5 MB): A 16-page booklet that presents the science of vaccines with fun images to color and activities to complete; available in English and Spanish
- Vax Pack Hero: A program which features a web-based video game, physical trading cards, and an educational website
- BrainPOP: Vaccines: This BrainPOP video (4:43 min) discusses vaccines and how they work. Viewers will learn how vaccines interact with the body’s immune system. The interactive Vaccines web page includes quizzes, extra reading, worksheets, and games to inspire learning.
For shorter activities, here are several videos that share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.
Middle School Resources
- CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes middle school lesson plans (revised 2018), videos, and 3-D animations. These standards-based resources describe how the immune system works and how vaccines prevent disease.
For shorter activities, here are several videos that share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.
High School Resources
- History of Vaccines: Historyofvaccines.org offers standards-based resources for use in biology and health courses.
- CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes high school lesson plans (revised 2020), videos, and 3-D animations. These standards-based resources describe the parts of the immune system and how the immune system works to fight off disease and infection, along with how vaccines work, their history, development, and safety.
For shorter activities, here are several sources that share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.
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“Routine Vaccination Coverage—Worldwide, 2023” published in MMWR
CDC published Routine Vaccination Coverage—Worldwide, 2023 on October 31 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted health systems worldwide, negatively affecting immunization programs; recovery has been uneven. . . .
During 2022–2023, global immunization coverage plateaued at 89% with the first dose and 84% with the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis–containing vaccine and 83% with the first dose of measles-containing vaccine. Coverage with these vaccines remains lower than 2019 prepandemic levels. Countries with fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings experienced disproportionate challenges in reaching unvaccinated and incompletely vaccinated children. . . .
Strategies for strengthening routine immunization, catch-up vaccination, and new and underutilized vaccine introductions can improve the overall breadth of protection and support countries’ prevention of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
Related Link
- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
“Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Hospitalizations During Pregnancy or the Early Postpartum Period—Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, 2018–2023” published in MMWR
CDC published Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Hospitalizations During Pregnancy or the Early Postpartum Period—Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, 2018–2023 on October 31 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
Pregnancy is associated with increased risk for severe illness and complications attributable to influenza infection. . . .
Population-based data from a large city in southern China estimated the annual influenza hospitalization rate to be 2.1 per 1,000 live births. Among hospitalized pregnant and postpartum women with influenza, 86% were admitted to obstetrics rather than respiratory medicine wards; fewer than one third received antiviral treatment. Influenza vaccination coverage among hospitalized pregnant and postpartum women with influenza was <0.1%. . . .
Increasing vaccination coverage among pregnant women can reduce influenza-associated morbidity. Raising awareness about early detection, treatment, and infection control of influenza in obstetrics wards is needed to reduce the adverse impact of influenza on pregnant women.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
Related Link
- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
Virtual: Questions about our website? Register for the next Immunize.org Website Office Hours on November 13 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or November 14 at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
To learn simple tips and tricks for using our website efficiently, please register for our next set of Website Office Hours on Wednesday, November 13 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or Thursday, November 14 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). The same content will be covered in both sessions.
We will open each 45-minute session with a short, live demonstration on navigating the Vaccines A–Z website section and address questions submitted in advance. You can submit questions when you register or live on Zoom during the session.
Register today for Immunize.org Website Office Hours (content is the same for both):
Mark your calendar for future Immunize.org Website Office Hours. Due to the holiday season, we will hold only one pair of sessions in November and one pair in December.
Virtual: CDC hosts COCA call, “2024–2025 Recommendations for Influenza Prevention and Treatment in Children: An Update for Pediatric Providers,” on November 14 at 2:00 p.m. (ET); CE credit offered CDC will host a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call titled 2024–2025 Recommendations for Influenza Prevention and Treatment in Children: An Update for Pediatric Providers, 2:00–3:00 p.m. (ET) on November 14. During this COCA call, presenters will provide an overview of influenza prevention and treatment recommendations for the 2024–2025 season from the AAP and CDC.
A recording of the presentation will be archived for viewing on the COCA call web page a few hours after the live event ends.
Free continuing education credit (CME, CPE, CNE, and other) will be offered for this COCA call. Registration is not required.
Link for the November 14 call.
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