- March 4 is International HPV Awareness Day; spread the word that HPV vaccination is cancer prevention
- Immunize.org corrects PreHevbrio HepB dose volume on two handouts for healthcare providers titled “Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size” and “Administering Vaccines to Adults: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size”
- "Progress toward Measles Elimination—World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2019–2022" published in MMWR
- Unity Consortium’s toolkit helps you prepare for Adolescent Immunization Action Week, April 1–5
- Influenza-like illness activity remains elevated across the country. As respiratory viruses continue to circulate, continue to encourage vaccination.
- “How Late in the Season Can I Vaccinate My Patients with Influenza Vaccine?” Watch the 2-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
- Journalists interview Immunize.org experts
- Vaccines in the news
- Spotlight on the website: "Ask the Experts" topics and subtopics
- Recap: Immunize.org posts revised template for healthcare providers: “Standing Orders for Administering Pneumococcal Vaccine to Children and Teens”
- Recap: Immunize.org updates “Standing Orders for Administering Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine to Children and Teens” template for healthcare providers
- Recap: Immunize.org revises “Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens” handout for patients and caregivers
- Recap: Immunize.org updates “Clear Answers and Smart Advice about Your Baby’s Shots,” an excerpt from Baby 411, by Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
- Place your order! Sturdy, laminated versions of the 2024 U.S. immunization schedules from Immunize.org shipping in early March.
- Recap: Shingles Awareness Week runs through March 2; use these social media resources to promote vaccination
- Updated 65+ Flu Defense website offers resources for healthcare professionals serving older adults
- Recognize talented team members with Immunize.org’s “Save Lives. Immunize.” branded T-shirts and pins
Friday, March 4 is International HPV Awareness Day, a great time to spread the word about how the HPV vaccine can reduce the risk of cancers caused by certain strains of this common virus. HPV vaccination should be completed routinely before age 13 years, and as soon as feasible for all unvaccinated teens and young adults through age 26. Adults age 27 through 45 who want protection may be vaccinated after a discussion with their healthcare provider. The value of vaccination was demonstrated in a recent study published by Public Health Scotland that found zero cases of cervical cancer diagnosed to date among all women in Scotland who received at least one dose of HPV vaccine before age 13.
Vaccination before sexual contact is the most effective way to protect against HPV-related cancers including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and head and neck cancers. Vaccination prevents almost 90% of cervical cancer cases. Both men and women are at risk for HPV-related cancers so it's important to receive the HPV vaccine series according to the recommended vaccination schedules.
You can raise awareness with International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) campaign resources in 10 languages, and by including #onelessworry in your social media posts.
Related Links
- International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS): International HPV Awareness Day web page
- International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS): International HPV Awareness Day Campaign Resources main page
- Immunize.org: Vaccines: HPV main page
- Immunize.org: Handouts: HPV main page
- CDC: HPV: For Healthcare Professionals main page
- Public Health Scotland: No Cervical Cancer Cases Detected in Vaccinated Women Following HPV Immunisation (1/22/24)
Immunize.org recently updated two of its handouts for healthcare providers:
- Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size
- Administering Vaccines to Adults: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size
For both, a correction in the PreHevbrio (VBI) HepB vaccine dose volume was made, thanks to reader feedback. The correct volume is 1.0 mL.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Administering Vaccines to Adults: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
CDC published Progress toward Measles Elimination—World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2019–2022 in the February 22 issue of MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
In 2015, all 22 countries and areas (countries) of the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) pledged to achieve measles elimination by 2020. Despite success in several countries, most countries in the region still have not eliminated measles. . . .
During 2019–2022, four EMR countries achieved measles elimination. However, regional coverage with the first and second measles vaccine doses remained at 82%–83% and 76%–78%, respectively, and surveillance performance deteriorated, in part because of effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual regional measles incidence increased 68%, from 29.8 per 1 million population in 2019 to 50.0 in 2022. . . .
The regional measles elimination goal can be achieved through collaborative efforts to increase routine measles vaccination coverage, implement timely high-quality campaigns, and strengthen case-based surveillance.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
Related Link
- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
Held April 1–5 this year, Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW24) is an annual observance urging parents, healthcare providers, and adolescents to keep adolescents up to date on immunizations. Visit Unity’s AIAW 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.
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 Surveillance
For week 7, ending February 14, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView shows that 27 jurisdictions experienced persistent high or very high activity. Nationwide, 4.5% of patient visits reported through the Outpatient Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) were due to respiratory illness that included fever plus a cough or sore throat (i.e., ILI). The national baseline is 2.5%. Nine pediatric influenza-associated deaths were reported this week, bringing the total to 91 children who died of influenza thus far during the 2023–24 season.
RESP-NET
Visit the CDC Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) for weekly reports of hospitalizations across the United States due to three vaccine-preventable seasonal respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shows that influenza vaccination coverage for all adults age 18 years and older is 1.4 percentage points higher this season compared with mid-February 2023 and 2.8 percentage points higher compared with mid-February 2022. However, racial and ethnic disparities persist.
CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Influenza and other vaccines (including COVID-19 and RSV vaccines) may be given at the same visit, if indicated. 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.
Locate influenza and COVID-19 vaccines in your area by entering your zip code in the VaccineFinder on Vaccines.gov or Vacunas.gov. To be listed as a provider by VaccineFinder, see the information on this website.
Related Links
- CDC: Weekly National Flu Vaccination Dashboard main page
- CDC: FluView main page
- CDC: RESP-NET main page
- Immunize.org: free clinical resources and patient handouts related to influenza
- Immunize.org: Vaccines: Influenza main page
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Influenza main page
“How Late in the Season Can I Vaccinate My Patients with Influenza Vaccine?” Watch the 2-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 How Late in the Season Can I Vaccinate My Patients with Influenza Vaccine? The video briefly explains that while peak influenza activity generally occurs in the Northern Hemisphere in January or February, providers should continue vaccinating patients through spring.
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:
- 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 recent citation.
- Wall Street Journal: This RSV Shot Keeps Babies out of the Hospital. But Parents Can’t Find It. (2/21/24)
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
- American Red Cross: Those Who Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Are Able to Donate Blood (2/23/24)
- Washington Post: Florida Surgeon General Defies Science amid Measles Outbreak (2/22/24)
- STAT: Florida Policy Set amid Measles Outbreak Alarms Vaccination Proponents (2/22/24)
- Washington Post: Tax Records Reveal the Lucrative World of COVID Misinformation (2/21/24)
- NPR: CDC Data Shows the HPV Vaccine Is Not Reaching Many Young People (2/19/24)
This week we continue to highlight our popular “Ask the Experts” section. This resource covers 30 topics and provides more than 1,300 practical answers to common questions about vaccines and vaccine administration. Content is divided into two categories:
- Vaccine Topics—covering specific vaccines
- General Topics—broad subjects covering multiple vaccines
You can select a topic from the Ask the Experts tab of the main menu or by selecting from the left-hand menu within any Ask the Experts page. When using the menu on the left, you may also choose to view only questions within a subtopic.
After selecting your desired topic or subtopic, browse the resulting questions or further narrow your results with a keyword search or by choosing filters. Select the “Show All Answers” button to expand all answers on the page.
In an era of multiple pneumococcal vaccination options and changing recommendations, assessment of pneumococcal vaccination can be challenging. In response to feedback from a nurse educator who trains clinical staff on the use of our standing orders, Immunize.org recently revised its Standing Orders for Administering Pneumococcal Vaccine to Children and Teens to add clarifying footnotes for additional considerations when high-risk children and teens previously received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). In addition, we added an inadvertently missing word in one table.
Immunize.org also publishes as a standalone clinical resource the recommendations tables for pneumococcal vaccination of children and teens (the tables found on pages 3 and 4 of the standing orders document). Identical revisions were made to this resource.
Immunize.org appreciates our clinical partners who take the time to reach out to us with recommendations to improve our resources.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Standing Orders Templates main page
- Immunize.org: Recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccines Use in Children and Teens (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Pneumococcal main page
- CDC: PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor Mobile App for Vaccine Providers
Immunize.org recently made routine updates to its Standing Orders for Administering Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine to Children and Teens template. Changes include:
- Deletion of all references to Menactra (Sanofi), which is no longer available
- Addition of Enjaymo (sutimlimab, Sanofi), a new complement-inhibiting medication that increases the risk of meningococcal infection and is an indication for vaccination
- Addition of differences in the earliest licensed age indication for the two Menveo presentations: the lyophilized package may be used beginning at age 2 months; the liquid package may be used beginning at age 10 years
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Standing Orders Templates main page
- Immunize.org: Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Meningococcal ACWY 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 popular patient handout Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens.
- The "Maybe" statement was changed to "Yes" for several vaccines that are routinely recommended for preteens and teens who did not receive them in early childhood. Now, vaccines categorized as "Maybe" (such as Hib and pneumococcal vaccines) are only those with limited recommendations based on risk factors for older children and teens not previously vaccinated.
- RSV vaccine was added as a consideration for pregnant teens to protect the infant after birth
- MenABCWY was added as an option for preteens and teens who need vaccination against both MenB and MenACWY
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Adolescent Vaccination main page
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
Immunize.org is pleased to offer a special excerpt from Baby 411, a parenting book written by Ari Brown, MD, FAAP. The excerpt, titled Clear Answers and Smart Advice About Your Baby's Shots, comes from Dr. Brown’s vaccination chapter and highlights her most recent responses to media attention regarding vaccine misinformation.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Questions Parents Ask about Vaccinations for Babies (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Parent Handouts main page
- Immunize.org: Vaccine Confidence and Addressing Concerns main page
Laminated versions of the 2024 U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule and the 2024 U.S. adult immunization schedule are shipping in early March and available in the Immunize.org Shop.
While the schedules are available online from CDC at no cost, Immunize.org’s printed, laminated booklets are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given.
- Durable: their tough coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use
- Format: each schedule is produced in a 16-page, 8.5” X 11” booklet format; with color coding for easy reading, our laminated schedules replicate the original CDC formatting, including all tables and notes
- Easy access to CDC updates: CDC added an online addendum page to the schedule, where new recommendations from ACIP made during 2024 can be posted. The laminated schedule addendum pages include custom QR codes you can scan to view or print the current CDC addendum from CDC's website, as needed.
- Adult schedule bonus: the adult schedule includes a bonus page with Immunize.org’s popular 1-page handout summarizing the dose, route, and needle size recommendations for all adult vaccines and recipients
Pricing
- 1 copy: $10.00
- 2–4 copies: $9.50 each
- 5–19 copies: $8.50 each
- 20–99 copies: $7.50 each
- 100–499 copies: $6.00 each
- 500–999 copies: $5.00 each
- 1,000–1,999 copies: $4.00 each
- 2,000+ copies: $3.25 each
Visit the Shop Immunize.org: Laminated Schedules web page to view images of all the pages, to download the order form, and to order today!
For additional information, including large bulk orders, call 651-647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org.
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
The third annual Shingles Awareness Week runs through March 2. The week was established to raise awareness about the risks of shingles (zoster). About one out of every three unvaccinated people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime. CDC recommends two doses of recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix, GSK) to prevent shingles and related complications in adults age 50 years and older. Shingrix is also recommended for adults 19 years and older with weakened immune systems because of disease or treatments that affect the immune system.
The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) offers three social media messages to promote shingles awareness for social media platforms. The images can be customized with your organization’s logo. If you have any questions, please contact AIM.
Related Links
- AIM: Shingles Awareness Week 2024 web page
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Zoster (Shingles) main page
- Immunize.org: Shingles (Zoster): Questions and Answers (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Zoster (Shingles) main page
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.
Older adults are at increased risk of severe influenza and COVID-19 illness, including hospitalization and death, especially if they are not up to date on these vaccinations. An updated fact sheet on the website, The Importance of Preventing Influenza and COVID-19, offers responses to help guide discussions with patients on the importance of preventing influenza and COVID-19.
This helpful site includes information, tools, and tips for communicating with adults age 65 and older about the scope and severity of influenza. Resources include:
- Influenza in Adults 65+: The Facts
- Influenza Vaccination: Questions Patients Aged 65 and Older Frequently Ask Their HCP
- The Importance of Preventing Influenza and COVID-19
Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population.
Show your vaccination support with Immunize.org's new "Save Lives. Immunize." branded T-shirts and pins.
Immunize.org is pleased to offer new T-shirts in three different designs (unisex, women’s, and baseball). Each T-shirt features our logo on the front and, on the back, our tag line: “Save Lives. Immunize.” These T-shirts are fashioned in a super soft, premium tri-blend fabric that doesn’t shrink or wrinkle with washing. Designed with frontline vaccinators in mind, they pair perfectly with scrub pants for vaccination clinics and make a pro-vaccine statement whenever you or your team want to show your support for immunization. Perfect for the gym, clinic, or anywhere you like!
Click the pictures for more detailed information and to place your order.
Immunize.org's gold and black enamel “Vaccines Save Lives” pins are meaningful gifts for people who value vaccination. The pin makes a refined statement in black enamel with gleaming gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75".
Our pin features a stick-through-post design. The post is covered by a round rubber cap that holds the pin securely. A gold metal spring-lock clasp is also provided.
These pins are a striking statement of vaccination support. Wear these pins on lab coats, uniforms, or street clothes to show that you value vaccines.
Click here for "Vaccines Save Lives" pin pricing and ordering information.
- Immunize.org Shop website
CDC will convene a 2-day meeting of the ACIP today and tomorrow, February 28–29, starting at 8:00 a.m. (ET). ACIP will discuss influenza; chikungunya; COVID–19; polio; HPV; meningococcal; pneumococcal; RSV; diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; Hib; and hepatitis B vaccines.
No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described on the website.
Related Links
- CDC: ACIP main page for access to webcast, agendas
- CDC: ACIP: Meeting Information for presentation slides, content from previous meetings, and information about future meetings
For more upcoming events, visit our Calendar of Events.