| Issue 1,677: February 15, 2023
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| Top Stories |
Immunize.org Pages and Handouts
Vaccine Information Statements
Featured Resources
Notable Publications
Upcoming Events
Top Stories
2023 U.S. recommended immunization schedule for children and teens released along with MMWR article detailing changes
On February 10, CDC posted the 2023 recommended immunization schedules for children and adolescents on CDC's Immunization Schedules for Healthcare Providers web page.
Access the full-color, 12-page PDF of the child/adolescent schedule.
View what changed on the child/adolescent schedule for 2023.
2023 U.S. recommended immunization schedule for adults released along with MMWR article detailing changes
On February 10, CDC posted the 2023 recommended immunization schedules for adults on CDC's Immunization Schedules for Healthcare Providers web page.
Access the full-color, 10-page PDF of the adult schedule.
View what changed on the adult schedule for 2023.
CDC study adds to evidence that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy is associated with less pertussis among newborns
On February 6, a CDC study was published in JAMA Pediatrics that provides further evidence that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy helps protect newborns from whooping cough during their first two months of life. Newborns are most vulnerable to serious pertussis illness. A portion of the CDC release on the findings appears below.
February is Black History Month; Immunize.org celebrates the contribution of Black Americans in vaccinology
February is Black History Month. Immunize.org recognizes the contributions of Black Americans to vaccinology throughout history, including:
 Health inequities and disparities result, in part, from lower vaccination rates among Black Americans. Immunize.org encourages everyone to do their part to close the gaps in vaccination awareness, access, affordability, and coverage as part of our work to address disparities in health outcomes. Related Links
Immunize.org’s Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll recognizes 576 institutions, including three new honorees
Immunize.org is pleased to welcome three new institutions into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, for a total of 576 honorees. The birthing institutions are listed below with their reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.
 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 hepatitis B 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 are awarded an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for printing and framing and their acceptance is announced to IZ Express’s 54,000+ readers. Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and celebrates their exceptional efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission. Related Immunize.org Resources
Influenza activity is low for now, but with weeks of winter still ahead, keep encouraging vaccination
Keep encouraging influenza vaccination for those not yet protected; this is especially important for young children who still need a second dose in their first vaccination season and those who need vaccination during pregnancy.
In this week's Spotlight, we summarize resources at Immunize.org that focus on adult vaccination. Resources for Adult Vaccination main page offers all the adult educational materials from Immunize.org and partner organizations. Adult Vaccination main page contains all of the Immunize.org handouts that pertain to adult vaccinations. Journalists seek out Immunize.org experts to help explain vaccines to the public and policy makers. We help the media understand and communicate the complex work vaccinators do. Here is a selection of our recent citations.
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
Immunize.org Pages and Handouts
Immunize.org updates two standing orders templates for children and teens—Tdap/Td and meningococcal ACWY
Immunize.org revised two standing orders templates for children and teens, adding QR codes linking to the online versions of the documents. Links and additional changes are shown below.
 
Related Links
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Immunize.org revised "Vaccine Handling Tips" with updates made to address storage issues for COVID-19 vaccines, including direct links to information from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Also, QR codes linking to the online version of the document were added. Related Links
Vaccine Information Statements Immunize.org expanded its repository of Vaccination Information Statement (VIS) translations. Fourteen new VIS translations in Ukrainian were generously donated by the Minnesota Department of Health. All translations are available in print-ready PDF format.
Check the version dates of your office copies of newly updated translations. Translations of previous VIS versions should be discarded now that translations of the current versions are available.
Featured Resources
Help! Make It Make Sense with Dr. Toni and Dr. Aimee podcast on bringing energy, commitment, passion, and faith into public health with Julissa Soto, MPH.
Help! Make It Make Sense with Dr. Toni and Dr. Aimee is a podcast series hosted by Toni Eyssallenne, MD, PhD, and Aimee Bernard, PhD. They talk through recent headlines and separate fact from fiction. The latest entry in the series, Making Public Health Sexy with Julissa Soto!! features Julissa Soto, MPH. A description from the web page appears below. Back to top
Updated 65+ Flu Defense website offers resources for healthcare professionals caring for older adults
Confident recommendations for influenza vaccine from healthcare providers are powerfully persuasive. To assist you in maximizing protection for your patients, Immunize.org, in collaboration with CSL Seqirus, updated the 65+ Flu Defense website.
Check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your ongoing efforts in protecting this vulnerable population. Upgrading your vaccination program? Use Immunize.org’s Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide—free to download by chapter or in its entirety.
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). The Guide is available to download/print either by chapter or in its entirety free at www.immunize.org/guide.
Notable Publications
"Operationalizing CDC-Recommended Vaccinations for Adults Is at a Critical Point in Time" published in Becker's Hospital Review
On February 7, Becker's Hospital Review published Operationalizing CDC-Recommended Vaccinations for Adults Is at a Critical Point in Time, written by Immunize.org's Director of Adult Immunization, Carolyn Bridges, MD, and Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer, L.J Tan, MS, PhD. The authors highlight the “opportunity to sustain adult immunization efforts developed during the pandemic, utilizing them for all ACIP/CDC recommended adult vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines.” They note that operationalizing should begin with the National Vaccine Advisory Committee’s (NVAC’s) “Standards for Adult Immunization Practice”; dissemination of useful implementation tools; and making the most of the Inflation Reduction Act, which, in January 2023, removed many of the cost barriers to vaccination for beneficiaries of Medicare Part D and which will, in October 2023, remove those barriers for Medicaid beneficiaries. They emphasize that “healthcare systems have an important responsibility to develop year-round immunization programs that will assess and provide recommended vaccines to the adult patient.” “COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality among Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Persons Aged ≥12 Years by Receipt of Bivalent Booster Doses and Time since Vaccination—24 U.S. Jurisdictions, October 3, 2021–December 24, 2022” published in MMWR
CDC published COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality among Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Persons Aged ≥12 Years by Receipt of Bivalent Booster Doses and Time since Vaccination—24 U.S. Jurisdictions, October 3, 2021–December 24, 2022 in the February 10 issue of MMWR. The study found that “bivalent booster recipients in 24 U.S. jurisdictions had slightly higher protection against infection and significantly higher protection against death than was observed for monovalent booster recipients or unvaccinated persons, especially among older adults.
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A supplement on CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract), a vaccine delivery strategy to improve the vaccination experience, published in Canadian Pharmacists Journal
On December 13, the Canadian Pharmacists Journal published a six-article supplement on CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract), an evidence-based vaccine delivery strategy clinics may use to improve the vaccination experience. The lead article, titled Introducing CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract) as a Vaccine Delivery Program for Community Pharmacy-Based Vaccinations, describes the background information on CARD. The first author is Anna Taddio, BScPhm, PhD, who will introduce CARD in the upcoming Immunize.org webinar, Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (ET) on February 28. (See Upcoming Events.) Upcoming Events
Virtual: American College Health Association offers second in five-part webinar series Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students; CE available
The American College Health Association (ACHA) is offering a free, five-part webinar series, Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students, beginning in January. This five-part webinar series will provide tools for campus personnel in all disciplines to use when working with students to help them navigate misinformation, disinformation, and the infodemic. Webinars include:
Each session airs 12:00–1:00 p.m. (ET). Up to 5 hours of credit are available for CNE, CME, and CHES, and 1.0 CE is available for counselors specifically for session 2. The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will present a 1-hour webinar titled The Future of COVID-19 Vaccines beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on March 15. Part of its Current Issues in Vaccines series, the webinar will feature Paul Offit, MD, director of the VEC. Free continuing-education credits (CME, CEU, and CPE) will be available for both the live and archived events. Back to top
Virtual: Immunize.org offers webinar “Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults” on February 28
Anxiety about needles and injections affects as many as 2 out of 3 children and 1 out of 4 adults. This anxiety can contribute to dreading, delaying, or avoiding vaccinations, even when the importance of preventing illness is understood. Good news: there are safe, effective, and practical steps that vaccinators, vaccine recipients, and caregivers can take to reduce vaccination-related pain and anxiety. Creating a less stressful vaccination experience increases confidence in vaccination.
Following the presentation, ample time is reserved for your questions. For more upcoming events, visit our Calendar of Events. |
