Influenza Surveillance
For week 13, ending on April 2, CDC's Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView summary reports that seasonal influenza activity in the United States continues to gradually increase again this week, with the highest activity in central and south-central regions of the country and increasing activity in northeastern regions.



Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's new Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shares preliminary vaccination data. This week’s key fact: among adults 18 and older, 40.4 million flu vaccinations were administered in pharmacies and 30.8 million flu vaccinations were administered in physician medical offices as of week ending March 12, 2022. Both of these estimates are lower than the estimates at the same time last year.

CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines may be given at the same visit, if needed. COVID-19 vaccination alone provides no protection from influenza or any other respiratory virus. 

Vaccine Finder
If you don’t provide influenza vaccine at your site, please strongly recommend vaccination and refer people to sites that do vaccinate. Use VaccineFinder, a user-friendly website to help people of all ages find influenza, COVID-19, and other vaccines. Participating providers can update their vaccine inventory estimates on VaccineFinder. For questions or more information, contact [email protected].

Related Links

• CDC: Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard main page 
• CDC: FluView main page
• CDC: Influenza (Flu) main page
• Immunize​.org: free educational materials and patient handouts related to influenza
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines: Influenza main page
• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts: Influenza main page
• VaccineFinder website
• Families Fighting Flu: Flu Resources for Healthcare Professionals main page

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 recent citation.

• Kaiser Health News: Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left with a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine (4/6/22)

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

• WHO: Open to All, Anytime, Anywhere: Free Online Courses Bring Vaccine Knowledge to the Global Community (4/7/22)
• Washington Post: As Deadline Looms, FDA Advisers Debate Coronavirus Boosters for Fall (4/6/22)
• Nature: COVID Vaccine plus Infection Can Lead to Months of Immunity (4/6/22)
• The Conversation: The 1 in 10 U.S. Doctors with Reservations about Vaccines Could Be Undermining the Fight against COVID-19 (4/5/22)

Immunize​.org updated its Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination handout for healthcare providers. Changes were made to incorporate the newest ACIP recommendations for hepatitis B vaccine:

• Expanding universal vaccination to all adults through age 59 years, in addition to adults age 60 or older with risk factors
• Noting that any adult age 60 or older who does not meet the risk-based recommendations may be vaccinated

Immunize​.org updated its Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccines: Be Sure Your Patients Get the Correct Dose handout for healthcare providers. Changes were made to add PreHevbrio and Vaxelis to the list of vaccines containing a HepB component and to update the references.
 

• Immunize​.org: Handouts main page to see educational materials sorted by category
• Immunize​.org: Clinic Tools main page and its nine subtopics
• Immunize​.org: Educational Materials for Patients and Staff—an alphabetical list of more than 230 ready-to-print staff educational materials and patient handouts

Immunize​.org updated its Hepatitis A, B, and C: Learn the Differences handout for healthcare providers. Changes were made to incorporate the newest ACIP recommendations for hepatitis B vaccine:

• Expanding universal vaccination to all adults through age 59 years, in addition to adults age 60 or older with risk factors
• Noting that any adult age 60 or older who does not meet the risk-based recommendations may be vaccinated 

• Immunize​.org: Handouts main page to see educational materials sorted by category
• Immunize​.org: Clinic Tools main page and its nine subtopics
• Immunize​.org: Educational Materials for Patients and Staff—an alphabetical list of more than 230 ready-to-print staff educational materials and patient handouts

It is challenging to keep up with changes to COVID-19 vaccine guidance and the numerous fact sheets and job aids available. To address this, Immunize​.org published a new 2-page job aid, Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools. The checklist includes the most recent revision dates of CDC’s primary COVID-19 vaccination websites, as well as print-ready PDF documents from CDC and FDA. Each date is hyperlinked to the original document or web page. Immunize.org will update this list at least monthly, prominently indicating when it was last updated at the top of the page.

We encourage COVID-19 vaccination providers to review this list monthly to be sure your practices stay up to date. The most recent checklist update was April 4, 2022.
 
     

In addition, Immunize​.org updated its Vaccines: COVID-19 main page on April 4, 2022. This page provides a comprehensive index to key resources from CDC, Immunize​.org, and other partners. It facilitates access to information on COVID-19 vaccine products, clinic resources and tools, vaccine fact sheets, and other important vaccine-related topics. Links just added to this web page include the new checklist described above and CDC’s Interim COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Schedule for Ages 5 Years and Older.

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines: COVID-19 main page
• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts: COVID-19 web page
• CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines main page

Immunize​.org's personal immunization record cards, printed on rip-proof, smudge-proof, water-proof paper, are designed to last a lifetime. They fit in a wallet when folded. Give the record cards to your patients as a permanent and personal vaccination record. They are sold in boxes of 250.

• Child & Teen Immunization Record Cards
• Adult Immunization Record Cards
• Lifetime Immunization Record Cards

Make bulk purchases and receive quantity discounts. For quotes on larger quantities or customizing, or to request sample cards, call 651-647-9009 or email [email protected].

Immunize​.org's laminated versions of the 2022 U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule and the 2022 U.S. adult immunization schedule are in stock and shipping now. Order while supplies last.
 
While the schedules are available online from CDC at no cost, Immunize​.org’s printed, laminated schedules are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given. Their tough coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use. 

In 2022, the length of each schedule with appendices was extended by two pages. As a result, the laminated schedules are now published in a standard 8.5” X 11” booklet format.

• The child/adolescent schedule booklet is ten pages (i.e., five double-sided pages) and 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
• The adult schedule booklet is eight pages (i.e., four double-sided pages)

    

With color coding for easy reading, our laminated schedules replicate the original CDC formatting, including the essential tables and notes.

PRICING

For quotes on customizing or placing orders of 1,000 copies or more, call 651-647-9009 or email [email protected].

Visit the Shop Immunize​.org: Laminated Schedules web page for more information on the schedules, to view images of all the pages, to download the order form, and to order today!

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Laminated Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules (0–18 years) web page
• Immunize​.org: Laminated Adult Immunization Schedules (19 and older) web page
• Immunize​.org: Shop Immunize.org main page

In its March 9 issue, Open Forum Infectious Diseases published Increased Risk of Herpes Zoster in Adults ≥50 Years Old Diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States. The conclusion appears below.

We found that COVID-19 diagnosis in ≥50-year-olds was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing HZ [herpes zoster], highlighting the relevance of maintaining HZ vaccination.

In its April 5 issue, New England Journal of Medicine published Protection by a Fourth Dose of BNT162b2 against Omicron in Israel. The conclusion appears below.

Rates of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe Covid-19 were lower after a fourth dose of BNT162b2 vaccine than after only three doses. Protection against confirmed infection appeared short-lived, whereas protection against severe illness did not wane during the study period.

Related Link

• New York Times: A Second Booster Helped Protect Older People from Omicron Infection, but Waned Quickly, an Israeli Study Says. (4/5/22)

CDC published Monkeypox in a Traveler Returning from Nigeria—Dallas, Texas, July 2021 on April 8 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.

In July 2021, Monkeypox virus was confirmed in a U.S. resident who had returned from Nigeria....

Continued Monkeypox virus transmission in Nigeria might lead to additional sporadic U.S. importations. Early clinical suspicion, prompt reporting to public health authorities, and awareness of the types of exposures that might be high risk are among the lessons learned.

The article contains a table summarizing recommendations for monitoring and postexposure prophylaxis with orthopoxvirus vaccine, by risk level of exposure to a monkeypox patient.

Related Links

• MMWR's main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications
• Current issue and archives of the Weekly Epidemiological Record