IZ Express

Issue 1807: April 2, 2025

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Top Stories
 
Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources 
 
Vaccine Information Statements
 
Featured Resources
 
Upcoming Events
Top Stories
Measles cases reported in 19 states; vaccination is the only way to prevent measles

CDC’s weekly update on confirmed measles cases and outbreaks reported during 2025 showed that as of March 27, 483 confirmed cases of measles were reported by 19 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington. Four hundred of the 483 cases (83%) have been reported by Texas.

In 2025, there have been five outbreaks (defined as three or more connected cases), and 93% of reported cases are connected to an outbreak. A map of 2025 measles cases, as of March 27, is shown below.



In 2000, WHO declared measles eliminated in the United States. This elimination status could be lost if measles continues to spread within the United States for at least 12 months. This is a real possibility due to dropping rates of measles vaccination.

Vaccination is the only way to prevent measles: one dose protects about 93% of recipients and a second dose increases the likelihood of protection to 97% or higher. Two doses of MMR are recommended for all children and for adults who lack evidence of immunity and are at increased risk of exposure (such as healthcare professionals and international travelers born in 1957 or more recently) to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. A single dose of MMR is recommended for previously unvaccinated adults born in 1957 or more recently who lack evidence of immunity and who are not at increased risk of exposure. Except for stem cell transplant recipients, people with two documented doses of live measles-containing vaccine administered on or after the first birthday do not need additional MMR doses or blood tests to evaluate measles immunity.

Children routinely receive their first dose of MMR at age 12–15 months and a second dose at 4–6 years, although the second dose may be administered as early as 4 weeks after the first dose. Infants who live in areas experiencing an outbreak or who travel internationally may receive a dose of MMR as early as age 6 months, but will still need two doses after their first birthday for full protection. Families should follow state or local public health guidance concerning administration of early doses.

Related Links

CDC releases checklist for public health officials to prepare for measles cases and outbreaks

CDC offers the Public Health Preparedness Checklist: Measles Clusters and Outbreaks, a checklist of key activities that state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions should consider to prepare for a potential measles cluster or outbreak. These activities should be completed before identification of a measles case or outbreak, but they are still valuable after identification of a case.



View the checklist.

Immunize.org overhauls and renames clinical resource "Vaccine Storage Quick Reference"

Immunize.org overhauled a popular vaccine storage resource. The Vaccine Storage Quick Reference (formerly entitled “Vaccine Handling Tips”) is a 1-page guide to appropriate storage temperatures for vaccines approved or authorized for routine use in the United States. Vaccines exclusively used for international travel are not included. Consider placing a copy on each vaccine storage unit today.
 
Key updates include:

  • Clear storage information: vaccines are now shown within color-coded boxes based on storage in a refrigerator, freezer, or ultra-cold freezer
  • Vaccine listings: vaccines are listed by disease name only except when storage requirements apply only to specified brands
  • Improved readability: the font size was enlarged
  • Additional resources: links lead to other relevant resources from Immunize.org and CDC that guide vaccine storage and response to improper temperature exposure
  • Special cases: a separate box provides details for vaccines that are routinely frozen but may be refrigerated for a limited time
  • Vaccine diluents: information on proper storage of vaccine diluents is included



Related Links

Next week, April 7–11, is Adolescent Immunization Action Week. Unity Consortium offers toolkit to help you in your outreach efforts.

Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW25) is observed April 7–11. AIAW urges parents, healthcare providers, and adolescents to keep teens up to date on vaccinations. Visit Unity’s AIAW campaign page for social media-ready materials to draw attention to improving coverage. Use the hashtag #AIAW25 to spread the word.



Unity’s password-protected toolkit includes graphics and a short article about the observance for emails, newsletters, or blogs. To access this, sign up at the bottom of the AIAW25 web page.

Influenza continues to decline across the nation but is still active; CDC reports 159 children have died so far

For week 12, ending March 22, CDC’s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, showed influenza-like illness activity at high to very high levels in 13 reporting jurisdictions. CDC classified this season as a high-severity season for people of all ages. During week 12, 3.3% of outpatient visits were for influenza-like illness, remaining above the epidemic threshold of 3.0% for the seventeenth consecutive week. Eight pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported during week 12, bringing the 2024–25 season total to 159 childhood deaths.




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 March 15, by age, appear below. State-by-state differences in coverage vary widely.

  • Age 6 months–17 years: 47.8% (last season at this time: 52.1%)
  • Age 18 years and older: 46.4% (same as last season at this time)

CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get annual influenza vaccination. Given the high levels of circulating influenza across the country, vaccination 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

"What Is the Upper Limit of Gestational Age for Abrysvo RSV Vaccine in Pregnancy?" Watch the 1-minute answer, part of the Ask the Experts Video Series on YouTube. 

This week, our featured episode from the Ask the Experts Video Series is titled What Is the Upper Limit of Gestational Age for Abrysvo RSV Vaccine in Pregnancy? The video explains that Pfizer’s RSV vaccine (Abrysvo) may be administered from 32 weeks through 36 weeks and 6 days’ gestation. RSV vaccine should not be administered at 37 weeks’ gestation or beyond.

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.

IZ Express is committed to keeping our 52,000+ readers up to date on evidence-based vaccine information each week; encourage all vaccination providers to subscribe

Now more than ever, vaccinators need accurate, up-to-date immunization news at their fingertips. Encourage your coworkers to subscribe to IZ Express so they get all the news that matters to vaccinators in their own inbox each Wednesday. It’s free! IZ Express, the weekly e-newsletter produced by Immunize.org, alerts each of our 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

    
Thank you for helping us get the latest vaccine news to every clinical and public health professional who needs to know.

Vaccines in the news

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

Immunize.org Website and Clinical Resources
Spotlight on the website: Learn about notable vaccination milestones with the Vaccine History Timeline

Immunize.org's Vaccine History Timeline offers a chronology of events related to vaccine-preventable diseases and advances in vaccinology. It begins in 400 B.C.E. with Hippocrates’ description of diseases now preventable by vaccines and continues to the present. To access the timeline, go to the "Vaccines & VIS" menu tab and click on the “Vaccine History Timeline.” 



Use the vertical scroll bar or click on a year to move back in time to explore vaccine history. On the right, click on “Back to Top” to jump back to the most recent year.



“The Vaccine History Timeline” web page includes useful related resources, such as links to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia's HistoryofVaccines.org and the National Library of Medicine.

Recap: Immunize.org updates Spanish translations of popular handouts, reflecting new pneumococcal recommendation for adults age 50 years and older

Immunize.org updated Spanish translations of eight popular handouts, including its Vaccinations for Adults series of handouts. These seven patient handouts now include the CDC recommendation for pneumococcal vaccination of all adults age 50 years and older:

In addition, the Spanish translation of Human Papillomavirus (HPV): A Parent's Guide to Preteen and Teen HPV Vaccination (view in English) was updated to correct multiple CDC website links that changed.

Recap: Immunize.org posts 17 updated translations of its handout "Immunizations for Babies: A Guide for Parents" 

As reported in the March 19 edition of IZ Express, Immunize.org corrected an error on Immunizations for Babies: A Guide for Parents. The small print indicating the timeframe for the final Hib vaccine dose listed on the "12 months and older" row displayed the wrong age range for administration. It was corrected to display the correct range of 12–15 months.

Immunize.org corrected this error on all 17 translations of this patient handout. Updated translations include:

Arabic  Pashto 
Bosnian  Russian 
Chinese-Simplified             Somali 
Dari  Spanish 
French  Swahili
Haitian Creole  Turkish
Kinyarwanda  Ukrainian
Korean  Vietnamese
Nepali   

Recap: Immunize.org updates new CDC web links in "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services" and "Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens"

Immunize.org updated Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services and Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens with new web links following changes to the CDC website.

Recap: Immunize.org adds GSK’s new MenABCWY vaccine to "Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them"

Immunize.org updated Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them to add Penmenvy (MenABCWY, GSK) to the table of vaccines requiring a diluent.

Summary: Immunize.org updated these clinical resources in February and March

IZ Express regularly provides readers with information about Immunize.org’s new and updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and handouts for patients. Immunize.org materials are free to distribute. 
 
In case you missed them during recent weeks, updates were made to these helpful materials: 
 
Immunize.org Updated Materials for Clinicians 

Materials supporting vaccine administration: 

Standing orders for: 

Temperature logs: 

Immunize.org Web Pages 

Archived Immunize.org Website Office Hours Webinars 

Immunize.org Updated Printable Materials for Your Patients 

Vaccine Information Statements
Summary: VISs and VIS-related resources released in March

IZ Express provides readers with information about new and updated VISs, translations, and resources. In March, CDC released 17 revised VISs dated January 31, 2025. The revisions comply with a January 20, 2025, executive order. Changes were limited to replacing the words “persons,” “person,” and “they” with the words "women," "woman," and "she" when referring to pregnancy or breastfeeding. 

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  

Two clinical resources related to VISs were updated: 

Immunize.org offers three clinical resources that link to VISs via QR codes: 

All these resources appear on our new Clinical Resources topic: VIS-Related Resources. 

Featured Resources
Vaccinate Your Family releases its "2025 State of the ImmUnion Report" 

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) released its ninth annual State of the ImmUnion Report. VYF’s report describes the ongoing challenges our nation faces with respect to vaccine-preventable diseases and the policies that can increase vaccination rates and promote public safety.



View the report. 

Medscape offers CDC educational activity highlighting the health and economic benefits of childhood vaccinations in the United States; CE credit available

Medscape released a text-based educational activity for healthcare professionals: Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood Immunizations in the Era of the Vaccines for Children Program—United States, 1994–2023.

To view the activity and earn credit toward the internal medicine maintenance of certification program or CE, click here.

Nominate a champion! Association of Immunization Managers accepting nominations for Immunization Champions. 

Honor an immunization champion you know! The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) invites nominations for its Immunization Champion Awards. The award is presented to a champion from each of the designated immunization jurisdictions, which includes 50 U.S. states, five cities, the District of Columbia, and eight U.S. territories or freely associated states. This award recognizes people who are doing an exemplary job, going above and beyond to promote vaccinations in their communities, for both children and adults.



Learn more about AIM's Immunization Champion Awards.

While supplies last, order laminated 2025 U.S. immunization schedule booklets from Immunize.org

Laminated booklets of the 2025 U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule and the 2025 U.S. adult immunization schedule are available now in the Immunize.org shop.

The schedules are available online as PDFs from CDC at no cost. Immunize.org’s laminated booklets are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccines are given. Features include:

  • Durability: Their tough coating can be wiped down, and they can stand up to a year's worth of use.
  • Format: Each schedule is produced in an 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. The adult schedule is 16 pages and the child and adolescent schedule is 20 pages.
  • Easy access to CDC updates: The CDC online schedule includes an addendum page that will display ACIP’s new recommendations as CDC adopts them during 2025. Each Immunize.org laminated schedule addendum page includes QR codes you can scan to view or print the online addendum page as it is revised.
  • Bonus content: Both schedules include 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:
 
Child and Adolescent Booklets                      Adult Booklets   
1 copy: $10.50           1 copy: $10.00
2–4 copies: $10.00 each           2–4 copies: $9.50 each
5–19 copies: $9.00 each           5–19 copies: $8.50 each
20–99 copies: $8.00 each           20–99 copies: $7.50 each
100–499 copies: $6.50 each           100–499 copies: $6.00 each
500–999 copies: $5.50 each           500–999 copies: $5.00 each
1,000–1,999 copies: $4.50 each            1,000–1,999 copies: $4.00 each
2,000+ copies: $3.75 each           2,000+ copies: $3.25 each
   
Visit the Shop Immunize.org: Laminated Schedules web page to view images and order today!

For additional information, call 651-647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org.

Related Links
Updated 65+ Flu Defense website offers resources for healthcare professionals serving older adults

Confident healthcare provider recommendations for influenza vaccine are powerfully persuasive. This influenza season has been a tough one and it is not over yet. To help you maximize patient protection, Immunize.org, in collaboration with CSL Seqirus, updated the 65+ Flu Defense website.



This helpful site includes information, tools, and tips for communicating with adults age 65 and older about the scope and severity of influenza. Resources include:

Older adults are at increased risk of severe influenza, COVID-19, and RSV illness, including hospitalization and death, especially if they are not up to date on these vaccinations. A clinician recommendation is the most important reason why a patient will get vaccinated.

Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population.

Explore the www.Give2MenACWY​.org website to increase coverage for the MenACWY 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.

Materials on this colorful website for healthcare professionals incorporate the 2020 ACIP meningococcal vaccine recommendations and coverage statistics from CDC’s National Immunization Survey–Teen (NIS–Teen). One particularly popular resource on the site is the Algorithm for MenACWY Immunization in Adolescents 11 Through 18 Years of Age.

  

The website is divided into five easy-to-access sections:

The site also categorizes materials according to whether they are primarily of interest to providers, to adolescents, or to parents.

Visit Give2MenACWY.org and enjoy browsing (and deploying) its bountiful resources.

Related Links 

Upcoming Events
Today! Virtual: Alliance for a Healthier Generation hosts webinar titled “Vaccines for School Attendance: How to Talk So Parents Will Listen” on April 2 at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation will host a webinar titled Vaccines for School Attendance: How to Talk So Parents Will Listen at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on April 2. The webinar will highlight the important role school personnel, particularly school nurses, play in health communication. Speakers will include Jessica Reggi, DO, national advisor for Whole Child Health; Leah Ferguson, DrPH, director of evaluation, Healthier Generation; and Amy Dark, DNP, MSN-PH, nursing education and practice specialist, National Association of School Nurses. Viewers will learn best practices for communicating with parents and caregivers about the importance of routine vaccinations to support the well-being of students, families, and communities.

Register for the webinar.

Virtual: The Task Force for Global Health’s Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination hosts a two-part webinar series titled Eliminating Hepatitis B from Day One: The Power of Hepatitis B Birth Dose Vaccination on April 7 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and April 8 at 11:00 a.m. (ET)

The Task Force for Global Health’s Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination will host a two-part webinar series titled Eliminating Hepatitis B from Day One: The Power of Hepatitis B Birth Dose Vaccination. Part one will air at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on April 7 and part two will air at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on April 8. This webinar series will highlight how state and city immunization programs and local clinicians work with families to assure timely hepatitis B birth dose vaccination of all newborns in the United States.

View webinar details.

Register for the webinars.

Virtual: Register for the next Immunize.org Website Office Hours on April 9 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or April 10 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Ask your website questions and learn about our publication archives and vaccine timeline. Previously recorded sessions available online.

To learn simple tips and tricks for using our website efficiently, please register for our next set of Website Office Hours on Wednesday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or Thursday, April 10 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). The same content will be covered in both sessions.
 
We will open each 45-minute session with a short, live demonstration on navigating the following site content: publication archives, vaccine timeline, and information about our organization. You can submit questions when you register or live on Zoom during the session.



Register today for Immunize.org Website Office Hours (content is the same for both):

The archive of previous Website Office Hours content is posted at Immunize.org’s Webinars & Videos page. Website sections covered in the archived webinars include Ask the Experts; Clinical Resources; Vaccine Information Statements (VISs); Images, Webinars, Videos, & Social Media; Official Guidance; Travel Vaccines, Vaccine Confidence & Addressing Concerns; and Vaccines A–Z.

Mark your calendar for future Immunize.org Website Office Hours.

Virtual: Watch rescheduled April 15–16 ACIP meeting with discussion of several vaccine recommendations, including MenABCWY, RSV, and chikungunya

After postponing the regularly scheduled February ACIP meeting, CDC will convene the ACIP on April 15–16. The ACIP will discuss vaccines targeting chikungunya, COVID-19, cytomegalovirus, HPV, influenza, Lyme disease, meningococcal disease, mpox, pneumococcal disease, and RSV. An update on the multistate measles outbreak will be presented.



No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for written or oral public comment are described on the website.

View the agenda.

Related Links

For more upcoming events, visit our Calendar of Events.

About IZ Express

IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. NH23IP922654 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.

IZ Express Disclaimer
ISSN 2771-8085

Editorial Information

  • Editor-in-Chief
    Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
  • Managing Editor
    John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
  • Associate Editor
    Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
  • Writer/Publication Coordinator
    Taryn Chapman, MS
    Courtnay Londo, MA
  • Style and Copy Editor
    Marian Deegan, JD
  • Web Edition Managers
    Arkady Shakhnovich
    Jermaine Royes
  • Contributing Writer
    Laurel H. Wood, MPA
  • Technical Reviewer
    Kayla Ohlde

This page was updated on .

Our Affiliated Sites

For the Public: VaccineInformation.org
For Coalitions: ImmunizationCoalitions.org
65+ Flu Defense
Protect vulnerable, older adult patients from influenza.
Give2MenACWY.org
Improve protection from meningococcal serogroups ACWY.
Mass Vaccination Resources
Access guidance documents, toolkits, and helpful resources.
NAIIS
Home of the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit.