Issue 1803: March 12, 2025

The New Mexico Department of Health announced on March 6 the measles-associated death of an unvaccinated adult who did not seek medical attention before death. This is the second measles death in 2025. Before 2025, the most recent measles death in the United States occurred in 2015. As of March 6, 222 cases of measles had been reported in 2025 in 12 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. Most of these cases (198), including both reported deaths, are associated with the outbreak that began in Gaines County, Texas, near Lubbock.

Now is the time to ensure your team is prepared to educate your patients and the public about measles and measles vaccination, to recognize and respond to a suspected measles case, and to properly administer MMR to children and adults. Start with the Immunize.org resources compiled at our Vaccines A–Z: Measles page.



Our standing orders template for adults was recently edited to clarify the statement that people born in any country (not just the United States) before 1957 are generally presumed to be immune to measles, mumps, and rubella, and do not need MMR. The exception is those who work in a healthcare setting where a stricter standard of proof of immunity applies. Both adult and child MMR standing orders templates were also updated to correct URLs that have changed on the CDC website.

Note that because our standing orders template addresses prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella with MMR vaccination, it does not reference evaluating the history of the ineffective, inactivated measles vaccine administered to some people between 1963 and 1967, which was never combined with mumps and rubella vaccines.

Below are listed helpful measles information from trusted partners you may also wish to bookmark for reference in the months ahead:

For Clinicians:

• CDC: Measles (Rubeola) main page
• CDC: Measles Vaccine Recommendations main page
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Patient Care Measles main page
• NFID: Measles main page

For Patients and the Public:

• CDC: Measles Vaccination main page
• CHOP Vaccine Education Center: Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): The Diseases & Vaccines main page
• AAP: How to Protect Your Children During a Measles Outbreak main page
• Vaccinate Your Family: Vaccines & Diseases: Measles main page
• Voices for Vaccines: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine main page

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CDC recently posted revisions of 17 VISs, dated January 31, 2025, on its Current VISs web page. The revisions comply with the January 20, 2025, Presidential Executive Order: Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. Each of these VISs was changed so that the words "women," "woman," and "she" replace the words “persons, “person,” and “they” when referring to pregnancy or breastfeeding. Users will also note that the VISs have a new CDC logo.

Web links to the revised VISs are shown below.

Cholera	Influenza, live	Polio
COVID-19	Influenza, recombinant	RSV
Dengue	MMR	Smallpox/Monkeypox
Ebola	MMRV	Tdap
Hepatitis A	Meningococcal AWCY	Varicella
Hepatitis B	Meningococcal B

Each revised VIS is posted at Immunize.org to help you provide current VISs to all your patients before vaccinating them. Federal law allows up to 6 months for a new VIS to be used. For more on this, see You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) – It’s Federal Law!

Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) is another useful document to help you ensure that you are distributing the most recent VISs.

You can use Immunize.org’s clinical resources (created in 2024) with our own QR code links to VISs. These codes will always take you to the current CDC VIS:

• QR Code Links to All Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)
• QR Code Links to Routinely Recommended Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)
• QR Code Links to Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) Translations: Influenza (Flu) Vaccine (Inactivated or Recombinant)

Translations of the newly revised VISs are not available. When a recipient needs a translation, provide the out-of-date translation along with the current federal VIS in English.

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Immunize.org reviewed and updated the contents of its Ask the Experts: Administering Vaccines web page. Links to CDC resources were updated and content concerning new vaccines added, as needed.

Immunize.org's Ask the Experts main page leads you to 30 distinct web pages on dozens of topics with more than 1,300 common or challenging questions and answers (Q&As) about vaccines and their administration. Immunize.org's team of experts includes Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH (team lead); Carolyn B. Bridges, MD, FACP; Iyabode Beysolow, MD, MPH; and Jane R. Zucker, MD, MSc.

Related Links

• Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Administering Vaccines web page
• Immunize.org: Ask the Experts main page to access more than 1,300 questions and answers

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For week 9, ending March 1, CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, showed influenza-like illness activity at high to very high levels in 32 of 49 reporting jurisdictions. This season is a high-severity season for people of all ages. During week 9, 4.9% of outpatient visits were for influenza-like illness, well above the epidemic threshold of 3.0% for the fourteenth consecutive week. Sixteen pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported during week 9, bringing the 2024–25 season total to 114 childhood deaths due to influenza.



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. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older; RSV vaccination at this point in the season is recommended for certain high-risk adults age 60 through 74 and all adults age 75 years and older. RSV immunization of infants and certain high-risk toddlers with nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi) is recommended until the end of March.

Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shows the latest statistics. Coverage level estimates through February 22, by age, appear below. State-by-state differences in coverage vary widely.

• Age 6 months–17 years: 45.8% (last season at this time: 50.9%)
• Age 18 years and older: 45.2% (last season at this time: 45.5%)

CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Given the high levels of circulating influenza across the country, vaccination this season remains important for all eligible, unvaccinated people.

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

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Immunize.org is pleased to welcome one new institution into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, which now recognizes 587 honorees. The new birthing institution appears below with its reported HepB birth dose coverage rate in parentheses. 

• LBJ Tropical Medical Center, Faga’alu, American Samoa (95%)

Please join us in recognizing this honoree with sustained excellence that qualifies for an additional year:  

• Oneida Health, Oneida, NY (92%) (9 years)

The Honor Roll includes 587 birthing institutions from 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. military hospitals overseas.  

The Honor Roll is a key part of Immunize.org’s initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give Birth to the End of Hep B. Hospitals and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage for HepB vaccine at birth and meeting additional criteria. To learn whether your organization qualifies and to access the application form, please see Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online.

Honorees receive an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for printing and framing. Their acceptance is announced through Immunize.org’s social media channels and to IZ Express’s readers. 

Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and celebrates their vigorous efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission. 

Related Immunize.org Resources

• Give Birth to the End of Hep B main page 
• Fact sheet: Do You Qualify for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll? If So, Apply Today.
• Handout on Immunize.org’s campaign: Give Birth to the End of Hep B
• Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page

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This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series discusses how to counsel a healthy adult in their 60s about RSV vaccine. The video explains that healthy adults can wait until age 75 to get an RSV vaccine, with plans to reassess patient needs for RSV vaccination if a high-risk condition emerges before age 75.

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.

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

• Vox: What Was Childhood Like Before Vaccines? (3/6/25)
• American Medical Association: AMA Urges Public to Get Vaccinated amid Growing Measles Outbreaks (3/5/25)
• STAT: Former Chairs of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on the Panel’s Role (3/5/25)
• The Ohio State University: Hidden Dangers and Myths: What You Need to Know About HPV and Cancer (3/4/25)
• PAHO: Measles Outbreaks in the Americas: PAHO Calls for Strengthened Vaccination and Surveillance (3/3/25)
• FDA: FDA Plans for Selecting Influenza Virus Strains for Vaccine Composition for the 2025–2026 U.S. Influenza Season (2/28/25)

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Immunize.org offers a social media program to highlight our educational resources for a new audience of vaccinators. Our social media channels feature our most popular printable resources and Ask the Experts questions, as well as announcements important to frontline vaccinators. Please view and share our newest feature, the Ask the Experts Video Series.

Like, follow, and share Immunize.org’s social media accounts and encourage colleagues and others interested in vaccination to do likewise:

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