- Immunize.org website launches new "Travel Vaccines" main page and adds travel vaccination content to vaccine-specific pages
- “Risk of Clade II Mpox Associated with Intimate and Nonintimate Close Contact Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Adults—United States, August 2022–July 2023” published in MMWR
- Immunize.org updates its resource for healthcare professionals: "How to Administer Intranasal and Oral Vaccinations"
- Immunize.org updates "Implementing Hepatitis B Universal Adult Screening and Vaccination: Clinical Answers for Healthcare Professionals"
- National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit shares updated resources to increase vaccination rates
- World Polio Day is October 24; encourage vaccination to end polio for good
- October is the time for you and your patients to get influenza vaccine; influenza disease activity is low nationally
- “Should RSV Vaccines or Antibody Be Discarded Seasonally?” Watch the 1-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube.
- Vaccines in the news
- Spotlight on the Website: State Immunization Websites and Additional State Resources
- Recap: CDC posts 2024–25 COVID-19 Novavax vaccine standing orders templates and at-a-glance resources. Immunize.org updates “Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools.”
- Virtual: Questions about our website? Get them answered live. It’s not too late to register for today’s Immunize.org Website Office Hours, October 16 at 4:00 p.m. (ET).
- Virtual: CDC offers archived COCA call, “Updates on Diagnostic Testing and Outpatient Treatment for COVID-19 and Influenza”; CE credit offered
- Reminder: Virtual: Watch October 23–24 ACIP meeting with wide-ranging discussion on vaccination recommendations, including pneumococcal, RSV, and COVID-19
The Immunize.org website now makes it easy for healthcare professionals to access current travel vaccination guidance from authoritative sources. The new Travel Vaccines main page, located under the Vaccines/VISs tab, curates the most useful links to essential travel vaccination resources from CDC and other nongovernmental experts, such as the International Society for Tropical Medicine. Direct links to popular resources in the CDC Travelers’ Health website and the current CDC Yellow Book make it easy to locate what you and your traveling patients need.
After the key resources section, a disease directory lists vaccine-preventable diseases with travel vaccination considerations. It links you directly to the new travel information section of the vaccine-specific page on the Immunize.org website.
Explore our new travel information and bookmark this new Travel Vaccines page today. As always, we welcome your feedback.
CDC published Risk of Clade II Mpox Associated with Intimate and Nonintimate Close Contact Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Adults—United States, August 2022–July 2023 on October 10 in MMWR. CDC recommends adults at risk of mpox exposure receive a 2-dose series of Jynneos (Bavarian Nordic), as detailed in CDC’s 2024 Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults. A portion of the article appears below.
Monkeypox virus can spread through intimate or close contact with a person with mpox. . . .
Among men who have sex with men and transgender persons who reported close contact with a person with mpox, condomless receptive anal sex was associated with approximately five times the odds of mpox after controlling for mpox vaccination, sociodemographic characteristics, and concurrent close contact behaviors. . . .
The findings in this report underscore the importance of ongoing multifaceted mpox prevention activities, including mpox vaccination and education on safer sex practices, to reduce the spread of mpox. . . .
Transmission via other forms of nonintimate close contact, such as contaminated household objects and surfaces, is rare, but has also been reported.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
Related Link
- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
Immunize.org recently updated its resource for healthcare professionals: How to Administer Intranasal and Oral Vaccinations. The primary changes fix broken links to CDC resources moved during recent changes to the CDC website. In anticipation of at-home administration of FluMist during the 2025–26 influenza vaccination season (recently licensed by FDA), a note was added that the instructions provided in this document are to be used when FluMist is administered by a healthcare professional.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Administering Vaccines web page
- Immunize.org: Clinic Tools: Administering Vaccines main page
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
- Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Influenza main page
Immunize.org recently updated its resource for healthcare professionals: Implementing Hepatitis B Universal Adult Screening and Vaccination: Clinical Answers for Healthcare Professionals. To address recent changes to the CDC website, several links required updating.
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Hepatitis B main page
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS, the Summit) recently revised its practical tools designed to improve access to and administration of ACIP-recommended vaccines. These revisions incorporate findings from the Summit's Operationalizing Adult Immunization Task Group, that identified policy and operational barriers that hinder access to immunizations. These tools align with the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) Standards for Adult Immunization Practice.
The updated fall 2024 resources include:
- Talking with Adults About Vaccines to Prevent Respiratory Illnesses During Cold and Flu Season
- Fall 2024 Respiratory Season Vaccination for Adults 60 Years and Older
- My One-Year Vaccination Action Plan
- Get Adults’ Vaccinations Back on Track
World Polio Day, organized by End Polio Now and Rotary International, is observed on October 24. It is a day for everyone who wants a world free from polio to come together, recognize progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about actions needed to end polio for good.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children younger than age 5 years. The virus is spread through the feces of infected people who usually have no symptoms of illness. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine—one which Rotary and its partners have used to immunize more than 2.5 billion children worldwide.
To encourage sharing information about polio, Rotary International and End Polio Now created a resource center with links to videos, social media tools, educational materials, posters, and more. Use hashtag #EndPolio when sharing sample posts.
Related Links
- End Polio Now and Rotary International: World Polio Day web page
- CDC: Polio Vaccination web page
- Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Polio main page
October is the official beginning of the 2024–25 U.S. influenza season and is the perfect time to vaccinate against influenza in preparation for the season ahead. For the first week of the 2024–25 influenza season, week 40, ending October 5, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView shows low or minimal respiratory illness activity nationally.
RESP-NET
Visit the CDC Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) for weekly reports of hospitalizations due to three vaccine-preventable seasonal respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shows that, as of September 21, more than 92 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed in the United States. Projected U.S. influenza vaccine supply for the 2024–25 season is expected to total 148 million doses.
CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Influenza and other vaccines (e.g., COVID-19 vaccine, RSV vaccine) may be given at the same visit, if needed. 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. Identify pharmacies in your area that may offer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines by entering a zip code in the VaccineFinder on Vaccines.gov or Vacunas.gov.
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 A–Z: Influenza main page
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Influenza main page
This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series is Should RSV Vaccines or Antibody Be Discarded Seasonally? The video explains that RSV products (including vaccines and nirsevimab [Beyfortus, Sanofi] preventive antibody) do not undergo seasonal changes (unlike influenza vaccines). The RSV products in your storage unit now may be used through their labeled expiry date, if they are stored properly.
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
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
- NPR: The End of Smallpox Was. . . .the Beginning for Mpox (10/8/24)
- Medical Xpress: Researchers Confront New U.S. and Global Challenges in Vaccinations of Adults (10/7/24)
- STAT: Q&A: How California, Now an Epicenter for Bird Flu in Dairy Cattle, Is Monitoring the Virus (10/7/24)
In today’s story, we continue to spotlight our links to state-specific resources: State Immunization Websites and Additional State Resources. These can be found by choosing the Official Guidance tab at the top of every page, then selecting States from the left-hand menu.
Each state and the District of Columbia are included on the State Immunization Websites web page. Click on names to expand or contract content. Blue text indicates a clickable link to directly access the state’s immunization program, plus available childcare, school, or college immunization requirements or related resources.
Additional State Resources connects you to important contact information for state immunization program managers, as well as other immunization contacts, including perinatal hepatitis B prevention coordinators, and Indian Health Service immunization contacts. Links to other useful government and nongovernment organization sites are also provided.
CDC posted highly anticipated 2024–25 Novavax protein-based vaccine resources at its U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Product Information main page. This page links to standing orders templates for COVID-19 Novavax vaccine and the mRNA vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. This page also links to at-a-glance summaries for each of the three 2024–25 vaccines.
Immunize.org’s October 4 version of its "Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools" includes the revision dates and links to all these updated 2024–25 resources.
All COVID-19 vaccine providers should regularly review this checklist. Download the latest documents and discard outdated versions.
Related Links
- CDC: U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Product Information main page
- CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations main page for use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States
- Immunize.org: Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools (PDF)
- Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: COVID-19 main page
Download Immunize.org’s free 142-page book on adult vaccination to help build your program and train your team: Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide (Guide).
This thorough "how to" guide on adult vaccination provides easy-to-use, practical information covering all essential activities. It helps vaccine providers enhance their existing adult vaccination services or introduce them into any clinical setting.
The Guide is available to download/print either by chapter or in its entirety free of charge. The National Vaccine Program Office and CDC both supported the development of the Guide and provided early technical review.
The Guide is a valuable resource to assist providers in increasing adult vaccination rates. Be sure to get a copy today!
Please note: this guide was produced in 2017, before the COVID-19 era, and reflects the recommendations of that time.
Related Links
- Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide main page, permitting download of entire Guide (142 pages, PDF)
- View the table of contents and individual chapters (PDF):
- Table of Contents
- Step 1: Getting Started
- Step 2: Setting Up for Vaccination Services
- Step 3: Vaccine Storage and Handling
- Step 4: Deciding Whom to Vaccinate
- Step 5: Administering Vaccines
- Step 6: Documentation and Related Issues
- Step 7A: Financial Considerations
- Step 7B: How to Bill for Adult Immunizations
- Immunize.org’s Clinical Resources (handouts) on adult immunization
If you have questions about using our website, please register for our Website Office Hours session today, October 16, at 4:00 p.m. (ET).
We will open today's session with a short, live demonstration on navigating our popular Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) website section. You may submit queries through the question-and-answer feature on Zoom.
Register for today's Immunize.org Website Office Hours session.
- October 16 (today)
Mark your calendar for our future Immunize.org Website Office Hours. The next topic to be discussed will be navigating the clinical resources website section on October 30 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and October 31 at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
On October 10, CDC hosted a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call titled Updates on Diagnostic Testing and Outpatient Treatment for COVID-19 and Influenza. During this COCA call, presenters reviewed COVID-19 and influenza testing and therapeutic options, including eligibility, indications, and drug interactions.
A recording of the presentation is archived and available on the COCA call web page.
Free continuing education credit (CME, CPE, CNE, and other) will be offered for this COCA call. Registration is not required.
CDC will convene its ACIP on October 23–24, starting at 8:00 a.m. (ET). ACIP will discuss vaccines targeting chikungunya, COVID-19, cytomegalovirus, HPV, influenza, meningococcal disease, mpox, pneumococcal disease, and RSV, as well as adult and child/adolescent immunization schedules.
No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described at the website.
View the agenda.
Related Links
- CDC: ACIP main page for access to webcast and agendas
- CDC: ACIP: Meeting Information for presentation slides, content from previous meetings, and information about future meetings