Issue 1753: April 24, 2024

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CDC published Use of the Pfizer Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine among Persons Aged ≥10 Years: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2023 in the April 18 issue of MMWR.

ACIP recommends use of this product (MenABCWY, Penbraya, Pfizer) as an option when vaccination against all five vaccine-preventable meningococcal serogroups (A, B, C, W, and Y) is needed at the same visit and the Trumenba (Pfizer) brand of MenB vaccine is used for the MenB series. ACIP recommends this product may be administered to any person age 10 years or older, including off-label use in adults older than age 25 years. Doses of Penbraya should not be administered less than 6 months apart. A portion of the summary appears below.

The pentavalent meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp [Penbraya, Pfizer Inc.]) protects against N. meningitidis serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y and is licensed for use among persons aged 10–25 years. . . .

On October 25, 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp may be administered to persons aged ≥10 years when both a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) and meningococcal B vaccine (MenB) are indicated at the same visit. . . .

MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp is the first pentavalent meningococcal vaccine approved for protection against serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y. Different manufacturers’ MenB vaccines are not interchangeable; when MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp is administered, subsequent doses of MenB should be from the same manufacturer (Pfizer Inc.). . . .

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Links

• CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
• Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Meningococcal ACWY main page
• Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Meningococcal B main page

In March, Immunize.org updated its entire suite of materials to align with CDC’s Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit. The materials now accommodate two options for monitoring temperatures in standard freezers or refrigerators:

• CDC-preferred continuous digital data loggers that display minimum and maximum temperatures (min/max) or
• Other acceptable temperature monitoring devices without min/max displays

In April, Immunize.org incorporated reader feedback to create more room on each of the four temperature logs to document minimum and maximum temperatures on the chart:

• Temperature log for refrigerator – Celsius
• Temperature log for refrigerator – Fahrenheit

• Temperature log for freezer – Celsius
• Temperature log for freezer – Fahrenheit

Related Links

• Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Storage & Handling main page
• Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
• CDC: Vaccine Storage and Handling Resources web section
• CDC: Vaccine Storage & Handling Toolkit

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 22–29, highlights the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases. Since 1994, hundreds of communities have celebrated the crucial role vaccination plays in protecting our children, communities, and public health.

To observe NIIW, Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) now offers the Spanish-English #ProtegeATuBaby Sharing Toolkit for downloadable social media graphics, key messages about vaccines recommended for babies, and sharable animated videos. Remember to use hashtag #ProtegeATuBaby when sharing on social media and tag @vaccinateyourfamily (@vaxyourfam on X) so VYF can amplify your posts.



CDC makes it simple to plan your NIIW activities by using their promotional materials including English and Spanish logos, sample social media content, social graphics, and key messages. Please share your posts using the hashtag #ivax2protect.



Related Links

• CDC: National Infant Immunization Week main page
• CDC: Promotional Materials main page
• Vaccinate Your Family: #ProtegeATuBaby Sharing Toolkit
• Vaccinate Your Family: National Infant Immunization Week 2024 main page
• Immunize.org: Parent Handouts main page

This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series is My patient just turned 65 and has never had a pneumococcal vaccine. What are my options now? The video briefly describes routine pneumococcal vaccination of adults turning 65.

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

Immunize.org's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll recognizes facilities that take a stand for patient safety by implementing policies requiring healthcare personnel influenza vaccination. Immunize.org recently welcomed an additional healthcare organization.

• Silver Lake Hospital, Newark, NJ

Eligibility:

• Eligible organizations: hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical practices, pharmacies, professional organizations, health departments, and other government entities
• Requirements:
  • Your policy must require influenza vaccination for all staff
  • The application must describe measures to prevent transmission of influenza from unvaccinated personnel to patients (e.g., masking for the entire work shift)

• Immunize.org: Honor Roll Honorees: Influenza
• About the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll

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

• Infectious Disease Special Edition: School Vaccine Mandates Key to Preventing Measles, Other Preventable Diseases (4/15/24)
• Forbes: Life without Vaccines: Americans Who Never Forget (4/16/24)
• Washington Post: Opinion: Measles Is More Contagious than the Coronavirus. And It’s Back. (4/14/24)

As part of the CDC-funded National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity led by the Michigan State University School of Public Health, the Media Genesis team designed a public service announcement campaign highlighting pioneering black scientists and encouraging residents of black communities to “listen to the science” and get the COVID-19 vaccine. The campaign was created in the form of hip-hop music videos. Local musicians from Detroit, Charlotte, and Baltimore contributed lyrics and recorded the vocals and the music was created by Third V Modern Entertainment.



Media Genesis Solutions also created Black Pioneers in Science videos to increase awareness of scientific achievement in the African American community. One of these videos is on Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, whose COVID-19-related work was central to the development of the Moderna mRNA vaccine and the Eli Lilly therapeutic monoclonal antibody.



View and share the Listen to the Science and Black Pioneers in Science videos.

In the December 9 issue, Journal of Adolescent Health published Incidence of Adolescent Syncope and Related Injuries following Vaccination and Routine Venipuncture. We have summarized a portion of the results section.

Chart validation in this study confirmed:

• Vaccine-associated syncope at a rate of 3.0 per 10,000 vaccination events
• Venipuncture-associated syncope at a rate of 16.3 per 10,000 venipuncture events

Incidence of vaccine-associated syncope increased with each additional simultaneously administered vaccine, from 1.5 per 10,000 vaccination events after a single vaccine to 9.9 per 10,000 vaccination events after three or more vaccines.

The study reports that syncope resulted in injury in about 15% of both vaccine and venipuncture events.

Immunize.org offers resources to vaccine recipients and healthcare providers that describe vaccination-associated fainting and simple measures to reduce the risk of fainting. Download Immunize.org's handouts, Vaccination-Related Syncope: Information for Healthcare Personnel and Fainting Related to Vaccination: What You Need to Know (also available in Spanish), to use in your practice.



Related Links

• Journal of Adolescent Health: Syncope and Vaccinations: A Needed Step Forward (April 2024)
• Immunize.org: Vaccination-Related Syncope: Information for Healthcare Personnel (PDF)
• Immunize.org: Fainting Related to Vaccination: What You Need to Know (PDF)
• Immunize.org: Fainting Related to Vaccination: What You Need to Know (Spanish, PDF)

CDC published Durability of Original Monovalent mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness against COVID-19 Omicron–Associated Hospitalization in Children and Adolescents—United States, 2021–2023 on April 18 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.

During December 19, 2021–October 29, 2023, receipt of ≥2 doses of an original monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was 52% effective against pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization and 57% effective against critical illness related to COVID-19, when the last dose was received within the 4 months preceding hospitalization, but protection decreased over time. . . .

These findings support existing recommendations that children and adolescents aged 5–18 years remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccination given low vaccination coverage and waning effectiveness over time against COVID-19–related hospitalizations.

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications

CDC published COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, and Rates of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization among Residents in Nursing Homes—National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, October 2023–February 2024 on April 18 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.

Nursing home residents are at increased risk for severe COVID-19. . . .

Each week during October 16, 2023–February 11, 2024, 14.9%–26.1% of nursing homes reported one or more SARS-CoV-2 infections. Weekly rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalization ranged from 3.8 to 7.1 per 10,000 nursing home residents. By February 11, 2024, only 40.5% of residents had received an updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine. . . .

During the 2023–24 respiratory virus season, nursing home residents continued to have high rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalization, and up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination coverage remained low. Ongoing surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19–associated hospitalizations in this population is necessary to develop and evaluate evidence-based interventions for protecting nursing home residents.



Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Links

• CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
• The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine: Resources on immunization

In the May 2024 issue, Emerging Infectious Diseases published COVID-19 Vaccination Site Accessibility, United States, December 11, 2020–March 29, 2022. The abstract appears below.

During December 11, 2020–March 29, 2022, the US government delivered 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to vaccination sites, resulting in vaccination of 75% of US adults during that period. We evaluated accessibility of vaccination sites. Sites were accessible by walking within 15 minutes by 46.6% of persons, 30 minutes by 74.8%, 45 minutes by 82.8%, and 60 minutes by 86.7%. When limited to populations in counties with high social vulnerability, accessibility by walking was 55.3%, 81.1%, 86.7%, and 89.4%, respectively. By driving, lowest accessibility was 96.5% at 15 minutes. For urban/rural categories, the 15-minute walking accessibility between noncore and large central metropolitan areas ranged from 27.2% to 65.1%; driving accessibility was 79.9% to 99.5%. By 30 minutes driving accessibility for all urban/rural categories was >95.9%. Walking time variations across jurisdictions and between urban/rural areas indicate that potential gains could have been made by improving walkability or making transportation more readily available.