Anxiety about needles and injections affects as many as 2 out of 3 children and 1 out of 4 adults. This anxiety can contribute to dreading, delaying, or avoiding vaccinations, even when the importance of preventing illness is understood. The good news is that there are safe, effective, and practical steps that vaccinators, vaccine recipients, and caregivers can take to reduce vaccination-related pain and anxiety. Creating a less stressful vaccination experience increases confidence in vaccination.
 
In this live, 1-hour webinar hosted by Immunize.org, Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on February 28, we will learn more about the principles behind vaccination pain and anxiety and discuss simple evidence-based strategies to reduce apprehension. These strategies were developed and promoted by the experts from HELP Eliminate Pain in Kids and Adults. Their work was used by the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Canada, and others to develop guidelines for reducing vaccination pain.
 
The panelists will be:

• Anna Taddio, BScPhm, PhD; Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto; Senior Associate Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Ontario
• Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH; President and CEO, Immunize.org
• Lucie Marisa Bucci, MA; Director, Policy and Government Relations, Society for Infodemic Management (SIM), Québec, Québec
• Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH; Director for Research, Immunize.org

Following the presentation, ample time is reserved for your questions.



Register now to be sure you don’t miss this important session designed to help you make vaccination a more positive experience for everyone.

CDC published Reasons for Receiving or Not Receiving Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Vaccinations among Adults—United States, November 1–December 10, 2022 in the January 20 issue of MMWR. A summary appears below.

Vaccination with an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, which contains mRNA for the spike proteins of both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and Omicron variants, is recommended to restore waning protection from severe disease. However, by the end of 2022, just 31% of eligible U.S. adults had received an updated vaccine. An online survey conducted in November–December 2022, assessed reasons for this among 1,200 COVID-19–vaccinated U.S. adults.

The most commonly reported reasons for not receiving an updated vaccine were lack of awareness of eligibility (23%) or availability (19%) and perceived existing protection against infection (19%). The frequency varied by age group, with younger adults more likely to report being unaware they were eligible and adults age 60 years or older more likely to report they felt they already had adequate protection.
 
After viewing vaccine availability information and eligibility criteria, two thirds of the participants who had not yet received an updated vaccine reported planning to do so. One month later, 29% of the participants who planned to receive the vaccine had done so. Most of the respondents who had not yet received the vaccine still planned to receive it but, many reported being too busy (36%).

Healthcare professionals and public health practitioners should convey information about vaccination recommendations, eligibility, and waning immunity and encourage patients to get vaccinated. 

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• MMWR's main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications

CDC published Early and Increased Influenza Activity among Children—Tennessee, 2022–23 Influenza Season in the January 20 issue of MMWR. A summary appears below.

A field investigation of influenza activity in Tennessee during November 2022 found that children were twice as likely as adults to test positive for influenza and were hospitalized with flu at rates that rivaled past high-severity influenza seasons. This highlights that, to help prevent flu and severe flu complications, everyone age 6 months and older should get an annual flu vaccine.



Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• MMWR's main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of former CDC employee and long-time friend of Immunize.org (formerly IAC), Harold S. “Hal” Margolis, MD, on November 25, 2022, at the age of 76. Below is a remembrance from Deborah L. Wexler, MD, Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) Founder and Executive Director Emerita.



Hal and I became friends at the 1990 Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum conference on hepatitis B.  Quickly after that, Hal did everything he possibly could to assist IAC, including bringing IAC’s hepatitis B vaccine birth dose activities to the attention of the CDC.  It was Hal’s critical support and encouragement in 1995 that led to our receiving the first of many CDC cooperative agreements.
 
Over the years, Hal continued to provide his expertise to IAC in unlimited ways, including answering hundreds of “Ask the Experts” questions on hepatitis B that were published in our semiannual newsletter Needle Tips.
 
It was Hal who nominated IAC in 1997 for CDC’s prestigious Partners in Public Health Award, which we were honored to receive. 
 
In addition to IAC, Hal collaborated with organizations and governments far and wide, across the nation and around the world, providing his unique vision of ways to improve public health services.
 
Hal Margolis was a true international hero of public health.

Related Link

• Legacy: Dr. Harold S. Margolis Obituary

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In this week's Spotlight, we summarize resources at Immunize.org that focus on specific vaccine products. 



Package Inserts and FDA Product Approvals main page provides up-to-date product information links and links to FDA vaccine approval web pages for all vaccines licensed for use in the United States. 

Vaccine Manufacturers main page provides links to the websites of the vaccine manufacturers in the United States, as well as providing contact information such as telephone numbers and email addresses. In addition, the vaccine products for each of the companies are listed.

Vaccines main page links to information about 24 vaccines and the diseases they prevent. For each vaccine, access the latest recommendations, information, and resources from Immunize.org and CDC.

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

• The Hill: Vaccine Hesitancy Is Surging Again, Regardless of the Science (1/18/23)
• Wired: Twitter Is a Megaphone for 'Sudden Death' Vaccine Conspiracies (1/16/23)
• The Hill: What We Know about the Ohio Measles Outbreak (1/15/23)
• Houston Chronicle: Peter Hotez on New COVID XBB1.5 Variant: ‘People Are Saying This Will Be Mild. It’s Not Mild’ (1/11/23)

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is offering a free, online, CME-accredited training titled "Inform to Empower: Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence One Conversation at a Time” to help clinicians hold effective conversations with their patients about COVID-19 vaccines. Training highlights include evidence-based patient communication strategies such as:

• Motivational interviewing
• Techniques for dispelling myths and misinformation
• Tips for creating a culture of vaccine confidence among staff and peers.

Each module is supplemented with a toolkit comprised of educational materials for healthcare personnel and patients.  

ACOG found that almost all (96% or more) of the ob-gyns who took the training were satisfied with and enjoyed the training, and agreed or strongly agreed that it was important for their job.

This free training is accredited to provide 1.5 Continuing Medical Education credits for physicians. It is accessible on the ACOG Learning Management System and can be accessed by non-ACOG members through free and simple account creation.

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Immunize.org’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” pins are meaningful gifts for people who care about vaccination. The pin makes a refined statement in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75".


The pin is a stick-through-post variety with the back end covered by a round rubber cap that holds the pin securely. A gold metal spring-lock clasp is also provided.

Wear these pins on clothing, uniforms, and white coats to show that you value vaccines.

  

Click here for "Vaccines Save Lives" pin pricing and ordering information.

In the January 18 issue, Pediatrics published Codetections of Other Respiratory Viruses among Children Hospitalized with COVID-19. The authors concluded that respiratory virus codetections, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus/enterovirus, may increase illness severity among children younger than age 5 years hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Related Link

• AAP: Young COVID Patients Are Sicker When They Have a Second Infection, like a Cold or RSV (1/18/23)

CDC published Epidemiology of Human Mpox—Worldwide, 2018–2021 in the January 20 issue of MMWR. The MMWR article summary appears below.

The number of mpox cases reported from rural areas in West and Central Africa had been increasing before 2018. . . .

During 2018–2021, mpox cases were confirmed in six African countries. Eight primary and three secondary cases associated with travel to Nigeria were identified in four non-African countries. Online training courses on mpox prevention and control have been available since 2018. . . .

Mpox continues to present challenges to public health and health care personnel in endemic areas. Improvements in surveillance and community engagement will be critical to detection and containment of the virus. Vaccines and treatments might reduce morbidity and mortality in areas with endemic disease.

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• MMWR's main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) will host a webinar titled Cancer Prevention through Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination on January 26 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (ET). Participants will learn about the importance of HPV vaccination to prevent certain types of cancer. NFID designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.

Register for the webinar. 

North Dakota State University's Center for Immunization Research and Education will host a webinar titled Is Polio Coming Back? on February 23 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (ET). During the event, Paul Offit, MD, will discuss the recent case of paralytic polio in Rockland County, NY, and whether this case signals a larger problem for public health. Dr. Offit will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the inactivated and oral poliovirus vaccines, and provide insight into whether or not we will be able to eradicate polio with our current vaccine strategy. This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. 

Register for the webinar.