- Watch and share the new 3-minute video introduction to Immunize.org and its resources
- Immunize.org posts revised versions of four Chinese translations of VISs for varicella-containing vaccines
- FDA licenses Merck’s new 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV21) for adults; ACIP to consider recommendations for use this week
- Canada Day is July 1! Here’s a summary of vaccination information and advocacy in Canada.
- Should live vaccines be given to a healthy child whose mother is getting cancer chemotherapy? Watch the 3-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
- Vaccines in the news
- Today: Virtual: Watch June 26–28 ACIP meeting with wide-ranging discussion on vaccine preventable diseases
- In-person: Registration open for CDC’s 49th National Immunization Conference on August 12–14 in Atlanta; CE credit offered
- Virtual: CDC hosts COCA call "Mpox Update: Clinical Management and Outbreaks" on June 27 at 2:00 p.m. (ET); CE credit offered
Immunize.org is delighted to share a new, 3-minute online video introducing our organization and the resources available on our website. The video is available now on our YouTube channel as the first in a new orientation series of quick 3-minute videos designed to help both new and experienced users become more familiar with our new website and get the most out of all the resources we offer. Each new orientation video will be featured in IZ Express as it is released. Horizontal versions of these videos, like this one, will orient viewers to the desktop format of the website; later vertical versions of the videos will feature the mobile format of the site.
Please share this video with your colleagues and trainees, and anyone else who should know more about Immunize.org and how we can support effective immunization practices.
At the recommendation of an alert Chinese-speaking reader, Immunize.org requested the removal of Chinese characters included parenthetically in the document title of varicella-containing vaccine VISs as a synonym to the Chinese characters used throughout the document to refer to varicella or chickenpox. These parenthetical characters refer broadly to pox viruses and do not refer exclusively to “chickenpox.” To avoid any confusion, these characters in parentheses were removed from the titles. The VISs are dated August 6, 2021.
Varicella (Chickenpox) Vaccine VIS
MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella) Vaccine VIS
To ensure you have the current translations, click on Vaccines & VISs at Immunize.org, then click on VISs, then select a specific vaccine. Scrolling down the resulting page, you will see the current English version, a list of current translations (i.e., corresponding to the current English VIS), and then, if applicable, a list of any out-of-date (yet best available) translations. Additional tips on using VISs appear at the bottom of the page.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Vaccine Information Statement main page for VISs in 47 languages
- Immunize.org: Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (PDF)
- CDC: What's New with VISs web page
- CDC: Current VISs web page
On June 17, FDA licensed Capvaxive (Merck), a 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV21), for use in adults age 18 years and older. This PCV21 targets several serotypes not included in other PCV brands that cause serious pneumococcal disease more often in adults than in children. It does not include certain serotypes in the PCV brands recommended for children.
The CDC’s ACIP will review available data on its safety and effectiveness and consider recommendations for its use this week.
The package insert and approval letter are available from FDA.
Related Link
- FDA: Capvaxive product information web page
O, Canada! Recognizing Canada’s 156th national anniversary on July 1, we are sharing select Canadian vaccination resources. Happy Canada Day to the vaccination providers and champions among our readers in Canada!
Expert committees:
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), counterpart to ACIP
- Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT)
Advocacy groups:
- CANVax (Canadian Vaccination Evidence Resource and Exchange Centre): search through their library of resources (curated by the Canadian Public Health Association)
- Immunize Canada: a national coalition of nongovernmental, professional, health, government, and private sector organizations with a specific interest in promoting the understanding and use of vaccines recommended by NACI
- Canadian Nurses Association
Helpful resources:
- Canadian Immunization Guide, counterpart to CDC’s "The Pink Book"
- Canadian Communicable Disease Report (CCDR), counterpart to MMWR
- Canadian Adverse Events following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS)
- Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
- Canadian Paediatric Society: Education Program for Immunization Competencies (EPIC)
- Provincial and Territorial Routine and Catch-Up Vaccination Schedule for Infants and Children in Canada
- Provincial and Territorial Routine Vaccination Programs for Healthy, Previously Immunized Adults
- HELPinKids&Adults: organization offering resources to make the vaccination experience more positive for everyone
- CARD System (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract): strategies that will help to provide a better vaccination experience
COVID-19 resources:
- Health Canada: Vaccine Authorizations for COVID-19
- Public Health Agency of Canada: COVID-19
Government links:
- Health Canada, counterpart to HHS
- Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), counterpart to CDC
- Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB), counterpart to FDA
- Drug Product Database online query: list of drugs and vaccines permitted to be distributed within Canada, corresponding to licensed or approved status in the United States
This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series addresses the question of whether to administer live virus vaccines to a household member of someone going through cancer chemotherapy. The video highlights the importance of vaccinating household contacts and other close contacts of people who are immunocompromised.
The 3-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: Ask the Experts: Contraindications
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
- STAT: Telling New Stories Can Help People See the Value of Vaccines (6/14/24)
- CIDRAP: Misleading BMJ Public Health Paper on COVID-19 Excess Mortality Needs to Be Retracted (Commentary) (6/17/24)
This week, we focus on how to access any of the 1,762 past issues of IZ Express (known from 1997 through 2022 as IAC Express).
The back issue archive is available from the “News & Updates” menu tab within the “IZ Express Newsletter” section through the “Browse All Issues” link.
The tables of contents for back issues are listed in date order with the most recent shown first. Within each issue, simply click on any title in the table of contents to read the full story. View a complete issue by selecting the “Read full issue” link located to the right of the title.
You can search and filter issues to find specific topics of interest. To search, type keyword(s) in the search box (“Search & Filters” button on mobile devices), then select the “Search” button. Issues matching your criteria will be returned with the search terms highlighted. Results can also be filtered by date by selecting a year and month from the filter options.
The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) iREACH team created a series of six e-learning modules to help support anyone who engages in community conversations about influenza, COVID-19, and vaccine safety. These free modules also address racial and ethnic disparities in vaccine coverage and disease outcomes and how to close these gaps.
- Audience: these modules were created with community health workers, promotoras (trusted messengers), and community champions in mind
- Settings: the modules can be used for individual or shared learning
- Certificate of completion: available
- Languages: English and Spanish
- Formats: desktop, tablet, or cell phone
View the modules.
Additionally, AIM updated its 1-page guide, Connecting the Dots: Vaccine Confidence. This resource organizes links to vaccine confidence tools in three categories: effective communication, health equity, and addressing misinformation. Each category includes information for immunization program managers and their partners.
Visit AIM's All Resources and Tools main page for more.
In the May 29 issue, Journal of Clinical Oncology published a meeting abstract Effects of HPV Vaccination on the Development of HPV-Related Cancers: A Retrospective Analysis of a United States-Based Cohort. This study linked vaccination data and cancer diagnosis data for patients age 9–39 years. Patients vaccinated or unvaccinated for HPV were compared.
- Males vaccinated for HPV (n = 760,540) had 54% lower odds of developing HPV-related cancers (especially head and neck cancers)
- Females vaccinated for HPV (n = 945,999) had close to 30% lower odds of developing cervical cancers and any HPV-related cancer
These results add to the evidence of HPV vaccine’s real world effectiveness in preventing several types of cancer and precancerous changes caused by HPV.
CDC convenes its ACIP June 26–28, starting at 8:00 a.m. (ET). ACIP will discuss vaccines to prevent chikungunya, dengue, COVID-19, influenza, pneumococcal, meningococcal, RSV, and HPV. Anticipated votes are expected to have an impact on the practices of many vaccination providers.
Look for our meeting report, highlighting ACIP’s votes on new or updated recommendations, in the July 3 edition of IZ Express.
No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone.
View the agenda.
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
CDC will host National Immunization Conference 2024 on August 12–14 in Atlanta, GA. Program content will cover science, policy, education, and implementation issues related to immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Registration is now open. The general attendee fee is $685. CE will be offered. Register for the conference.
If you attend, be sure and find the team at Immunize.org’s exhibit booth and say hello!
See CDC's National Immunization Conference 2024 website for more information.
CDC will host a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call titled Mpox Update: Clinical Management and Outbreaks, 2:00–3:00 p.m. (ET) on June 27. During this COCA call, presenters will give updates on the mpox clade I outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and remind clinicians to be alert for mpox in patients with recent travel to the DRC. Discussion will address when to suspect a case of mpox, clinical management and prevention of clade II mpox, and recent mpox vaccination data.
Presenters will also discuss expanded availability to mpox vaccine (Jynneos, Bavarian Nordic) as the vaccine becomes commercially available, in addition to antiviral treatment options.
A recording of the presentation will be archived for viewing on the COCA call web page a few hours after the live event ends.
Free continuing education credit (CME, CPE, CNE, and other) will be offered for this COCA call. Registration is not required.