“Use of an Additional Updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 Vaccine Dose for Adults Aged ≥65 Years: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2024” published in MMWR
On February 28, 2024, ACIP recommended that all persons aged ≥65 years receive 1 additional dose of any updated (2023–2024 Formula) COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer-BioNTech). . . .
Adults aged ≥65 years should receive an additional dose of the updated (2023–2024 Formula) COVID-19 vaccine to enhance their immunity and decrease the risk for severe COVID-19–associated illness. . . .
“This recommendation was based on continuing SARS-CoV-2 circulation throughout the year, increased risk for severe illness attributable to COVID-19 in adults aged ≥65 years, protection provided by the updated vaccines against JN.1 and other currently circulating variants, the expected waning of SARS-CoV-2 immunity, and additional implementation considerations, including facilitating clear communication and equitable access to vaccine.”
National Academies report highlights need to prevent shoulder injuries from intramuscular vaccination
In a new report, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reviewed evidence for potential shoulder injuries from intramuscular vaccination with any vaccine. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) commissioned the report to better understand whether vaccination can cause specific types of shoulder injuries or a more general syndrome known as Shoulder Injuries Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA).
The report finds that vaccination may cause four specific shoulder injuries:
Acute subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis caused by direct injection of a vaccine into the bursa
Acute rotator cuff tendinopathy caused by direct injection into or adjacent to a tendon
Bone injury caused by direct injection into or adjacent to bone
Axial or radial nerve injury due to direct injection into or adjacent to the nerve
Evidence suggests that intramuscular vaccination does not cause chronic rotator cuff disease.
These findings about intramuscular vaccination are part of a larger report reviewing evidence related to adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination. Those portions of the report will be summarized in next week's issue of IZ Express.
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month; these resources help you implement hepatitis B vaccination for all adults through age 59 years
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, and May 19 marks National Hepatitis Testing Day. Help shed light on the burden of viral hepatitis and act to prevent it by encouraging testing and vaccination according to CDC recommendations. Both hepatitis A and hepatitis B are easily preventable with effective vaccines. See Immunize.org’s extensive sets of clinical resources and Ask the Experts web pages on each of these important vaccines.
Spread the word with graphics and posts on social media to promote Hepatitis Awareness Month and National Hepatitis Testing Day. CDC's social media toolkit is posted on its Hepatitis Awareness Month web page.
“I know the primary series of meningococcal B vaccine (or MenB) should use the same brand for all doses. Does that also apply to booster doses?” Watch the 1-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
IZ Express keeps 54,000+ readers up to date on what’s new in vaccines each week; invite your colleagues to subscribe!
Encourage your coworkers to subscribe to IZ Expressso they get all the news that matters to vaccinators in their own inbox each Wednesday. IZ Express, the weekly e-newsletter produced by Immunize.org, alerts 54,000+ readers to the week’s important vaccine developments. IZ Express also features:
Educational materials from Immunize.org, CDC, AAP, and others
Newly posted VISs and their translations
Notices about online and in-person educational opportunities, many offering free continuing education credit
We appreciate you as a subscriber! Thank you for helping us get the latest vaccine news to every clinical and public health professional who needs to know.
Immunize.org's Image Library can help when you need images of infectious diseases to educate yourself or others.
Located within the Clinical Resources menu, the Image Library section contains an overview page and a list of specific disease-related categories. Some of these images are disturbing and not suitable for young children. Most images included are in the public domain and can be reproduced without permission. If an image is copyrighted, information is provided so you can obtain permission from the copyright holder.
The Image Library Overview page also provides links to other vaccine-related image libraries from CDC and the History of Medicine websites.
Immunize.org also offers a Photo Library on our updated website for the public, www.VaccineInformation.org. There, viewers will find 16 galleries of images along with links to help members of the public learn more about specific diseases.
Recap: Immunize.org updates its resource for healthcare professionals: “Don’t Be Guilty of These Preventable Errors in Vaccine Administration!”
Immunize.org recently updated its resource for healthcare professionals: Don't Be Guilty of These Preventable Errors in Vaccine Administration! We updated resources and broken web links and removed references to the Menactra (Sanofi) brand of MenACWY, which is no longer available.
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:
Recap: Immunize.org updates "Strategies to Improve Adult Vaccination Coverage"
Immunize.org recently revised its 2-page resource titled Strategies to Improve Adult Vaccination Coverage. We removed references to the Menactra (Sanofi) brand of MenACWY, which is no longer available.
Summary: Immunize.org updated these clinical resources in March and April
IZ Express regularly provides readers with information about Immunize.org’s new and updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and handouts for patients. All Immunize.org clinical resources are free to distribute.
We’ve been busy! In case you missed them during recent weeks, updates were made to these helpful materials:
As of April 11, the U.S. has seen 121 measles cases this year. Patsy Stinchfield, President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, takes us back in time to previous outbreaks and our efforts to eliminate measles—all to help us understand why even one case of measles in a community is cause for concern.
Before we run out! Place your order for the sturdy, laminated version of the 2024 U.S. adult immunization schedule from Immunize.org.
The laminated version of the 2024 U.S. adult immunization schedule is shipping. The child and adolescent schedule is sold out, and we anticipate selling out of the adult schedule too, so put in your order now.
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 content: 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 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
Explore the www.Give2MenACWY.org website to increase coverage for the meningococcal ACWY booster and other adolescent vaccinations
Immunize.org's www.Give2MenACWY.org website promotes the importance of adolescent vaccination, including the recommended MenACWY vaccine booster dose at age 16. Many teens are behind on vaccines because of the pandemic, so vaccine outreach is more important than ever.
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision established an Ebola vaccine stockpile in 2021 to ensure equitable, rapid access to vaccines during an outbreak. . . .
Since 2021, the absence of large Ebola virus disease (Ebola) outbreaks has resulted in fewer vaccine doses being used for outbreak response. Out of the 145,690 doses shipped from the stockpile through 2023, 95% (139,120) have been repurposed for preventive vaccination, and 5% (6,570) were used in outbreak response. . . .
Repurposing doses for preventive vaccination could be prioritized in the absence of Ebola outbreaks to prevent transmission and maximize the cost-efficiency and benefits of the stockpile.
Virtual: Vaccine Education Center honors winners of Hilleman student essay, “Making an Impact on the World – 2024,” on May 3 at 3:00 p.m. (ET)
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and cosponsors will host the Making an Impact on the World – 2024 Maurice R. Hilleman Essay Contest at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on May 3. The event celebrates the legacy of Maurice R. Hilleman, PhD, and honors eight student essay contest winners who wrote about what they would study to have global impact.
IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. 1NH23IP922654 from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Immunize.org and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.
