- New! Immunize.org releases two screening checklists for vaccine contraindications and precautions that include travel vaccines; existing routine vaccine screening checklists also updated.
- “Interim Estimated Effectiveness of 2025–2026 COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults Using a Test-Negative Design” published in JAMA Network Open
- Measles 2026: 2,134 confirmed measles cases in 39 states and DC; Utah marks first anniversary of start of its ongoing measles outbreak
- Vaccines in the news
- Recap: 4th of July We the People Vax campaign is available for download
- From the Immunize.org shop! Laminated VIS QR code tables deliver CDC VISs directly to your patients’ smartphones (Spanish translation available).
- Explore the www.Give2MenACWY.org website to increase coverage for the MenACWY booster and other adolescent vaccinations
- Register for Immunize.org Website Office Hours. Join a 30-minute discussion about our VaccineInformation.org and LetsGetRealAboutVaccines.org websites on July 8 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or July 9 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Recorded sessions archived.
- Virtual: North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education hosts webinar titled “What's in Vaccines? The Purpose, Safety, and Science Behind Their Ingredients” on July 16 at 1:00 p.m. (ET); CE credit offered
- Virtual: Voices for Vaccines announces three webinars in its 5-part Vaccine Advocates training series; register today
Immunize.org launched two new screening checklists for vaccine contraindications and precautions that incorporate considerations for travel vaccines in addition to routine vaccines. One checklist is tailored to children and adolescents and the other is for adults. They are designed like Immunize.org’s other screening checklists for contraindications and precautions, with questions for the patient (or caregiver) on the first page and detailed explanatory notes to help healthcare professionals evaluate their responses on subsequent pages.
These new checklists are ideal for use by any healthcare professional who offers vaccination services to travelers.
Healthcare professionals who do not offer travel vaccines should continue to use the existing screening checklists for contraindications and precautions to routinely used vaccines.
As part of this revision process, the existing routine vaccine screening checklists for these age groups were also updated. The most substantial change was to the formatting, shifting from a single page of explanatory notes in very small font, to two pages of explanatory notes that are much easier to read. Minor changes were made to align with the new checklists. References and links to guidance documents were also updated. The two sets of screening checklists, by age, are the same, with the exception of the addition of screening information related to travel vaccines.
- NEW: Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Children and Teens (Including Travel Vaccines)
- Updated: Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Children and Teens
- NEW: Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Adults (Including Travel Vaccines)
- Updated: Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Adults
Related Links
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources: Screening Checklists main page
- Immunize.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria
- Immunize.org: Travel Vaccines page
In its June 23 issue, JAMA Network Open published Interim Estimated Effectiveness of 2025–2026 COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults Using a Test-Negative Design. In spring 2026, these findings were scheduled to be published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report but the acting CDC director decided not to publish them. This study reflects evaluation of 85,725 emergency department and urgent care (ED/UC) encounters and 26,073 hospitalizations in immunocompetent adults age 18 years or older with a COVID-19–like illness. The estimated effectiveness of 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccination was a 50% reduction in COVID-19–associated ED/UC visits and a 55% reduction in COVID-19–associated hospitalization, compared with not receiving a 2025–2026 vaccine dose. A portion of the abstract appears below.
Conclusions and Relevance In this study, receipt of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination was associated with additional protection beyond existing immunity in adults against medically attended COVID-19, including ED/UC encounters and hospitalizations, compared with no receipt of a 2025-2026 vaccine dose. These findings suggest that adults can reduce their likelihood of severe COVID-19–associated outcomes by obtaining a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination.
Related Links
- AP: COVID-19 Vaccine Study That Was Blocked from CDC Journal Is Published Elsewhere (6/23/26)
- Washington Post: CDC’s Chief Blocked a COVID Vaccine Study. Now It’s in a Top Medical Journal. (6/23/26)
Report on Measles Outbreak in South Carolina: In its August 13 issue, Vaccine published Vaccine Coverage and Quarantine During a School-Based Measles Outbreak, South Carolina, USA, 2025–2026. The study found that schools with repeated quarantines had significantly lower vaccination coverage. It argued that quarantine should be used as a temporary mitigation strategy, while maintaining high measles vaccination coverage is the most effective intervention for preventing large outbreaks and disruptions to student education and school function.
Utah Measles Outbreak Surpasses One Year: The Utah measles outbreak, which has gone on for more than a year, adds important evidence to support the anticipated loss of the formal Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) designation of the United States as a country that eliminated measles transmission, a designation the United States has held since 2000. PAHO officials will meet in November to evaluate the measles elimination status of the United States and Mexico. Canada’s measles elimination status was lost in late 2025. According to Utah's School Immunization Data Kindergarten Report, 12.8% of kindergarteners were missing their MMR in the 2025–26 school year. In the school district most affected by the ongoing outbreak, the Southwest District, 26.5% of kindergarteners were missing documentation of MMR vaccination.
U.S. Cases in 2026: As of June 25, CDC reported 30 new measles cases in the previous week, reaching 2,134 confirmed measles cases for 2026. So far, 39 states and the District of Columbia have reported measles cases in 2026. Specific numbers from CDC and individual state websites differ slightly, as the frequency and timing of federal and state updates vary.
Below is a map from CDC showing 2026 confirmed cases as of June 25.
Useful Resources: To prepare for measles outbreaks, CDC offers its Be Ready for Measles toolkit. Childcare centers can benefit from this resource: Preparing and Responding to Measles: Checklist for Early Care and Education Centers. This checklist provides step-by-step guidance for preparing for and responding to measles cases in these settings.
Immunize.org offers measles-related resources for the public on several of our affiliated websites:
- VaccineInformation.org: Measles web page
- LetsGetRealAboutVaccines.org: Measles web page
- Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Measles main page
- AAP: Fact Checked: The MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine Is Safe and Effective web page
- CDC: Measles Cases and Outbreaks main page
- Common Health Coalition: More Illness, Greater Cost: Spotlight Brief: Childhood Immunizations (PDF)
- Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center: U.S. Measles Tracker web page
- Health Canada: Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report
- CDC: MMWR main page providing access to the MMWR family of publications
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
- CIDRAP: Welcome! Everything Is Fine … Except There Is Still No ACIP Quorum: The State of US Vaccine Policy (6/25/26)
- Washington Post: Here’s Why You Should Be More Worried About Tetanus (6/24/26)
- ABC News: Military Services Again Requiring Recruits to Get Flu Shots as Air Force Outbreak Grows (6/24/26)
VaccineInformation.org is our educational website for the public, offering straightforward information for people of all ages about vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccines to prevent them.
Today we spotlight the Vaccine Basics section of the website, which covers foundational topics about vaccines, immunization, and vaccine-related resources. The Vaccines Basics pages are located under the first tab of the main menu.
The main page provides an overview and links to other resources on the website. Twelve topics are covered in separate pages:
- Evaluating Online Health Information: guidance on how to critically assess vaccine or health-related content found online
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): answers to common questions about vaccine safety, how vaccines work, vaccine schedules, and more
- How Vaccines Work: explanation of how the immune system works and how vaccines help the body build immunity
- Importance of Vaccines: summarizes why vaccines are essential—for individuals, communities, and disease prevention
- Improving the Vaccination Experience: resources and tips for reducing anxiety or discomfort around getting shots (for both children and adults)
- Paying for Vaccines: information on coverage by health insurance and guidance for those who are uninsured or need financial assistance
- State Immunization Programs: contains links to each state’s immunization program
- Tips for Finding Vaccine Records: ideas for tracking down past immunization records, especially when records may be scattered
- Travel Vaccine Basics: combines routine and destination-specific vaccine guidance with links to traveler health and travel-specific disease information
- Trusted Sources of Vaccine Information: a curated list of trustworthy organizations and websites to help readers locate reliable information
- Vaccine Safety: discussion of how vaccine safety is monitored in the United States and how this system protects us
- Where to Get Vaccinated: practical guidance on places where vaccines are available, including doctors’ offices, pharmacies, health clinics, and other special vaccination clinics
We hope you find these VaccineInformation.org resources helpful. Share these pages to help patients looking for trustworthy information about vaccines.
Related Link:
- Orientation Video Series: Introducing VaccineInformation.org (mobile view) (4:21)
IZ Express regularly provides readers with information about Immunize.org’s new and updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and their patients. All Immunize.org materials are free to distribute.
If you missed them, the following materials were posted in recent weeks.
Clinical Resources for healthcare professionals:
- Vaccines with Diluents: How to Use Them
- How to Administer Intranasal and Oral Vaccinations
- Standing Orders for Administering Rotavirus Vaccines to Infants
- Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools
Clinical Resources for patients:
- Shingles (Zoster): Questions and Answers
- Protect Yourself from Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B … A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men
Ask the Experts web pages:
Webinar & Videos:
- Website Office Hours Webinar: News and Updates (29:25)
- Website Training Video: New and Updates (17:20)
- Orientation Video Series: Healthcare Professional Organization Vaccine Recommendations and Schedules (3:42)
- Orientation Video Series: Introducing Travel Vaccine Information (3:09)
- Orientation Video Series: Introducing Travel Vaccine Information (mobile version) (3:39)
We the People Vax, sponsored by the Indiana Immunization Coalition, is a group of coalitions and health organizations raising awareness of the patriotism of vaccinating. Their campaigns include one designed for America’s 250th Independence Day.
Their 4th of July campaign includes:
- An MP4 video to share as a reel on Facebook and Instagram or as a post on any social media platform
- Two static JPG graphics
- Sample messages for easy and effective sharing (use #WeThePeopleVax in all posts)
America’s founding is in part due to the success of immunization. Forces of the Continental Army, weakened by repeated outbreaks of smallpox, lost the battle of Québec City in December 1775 and were forced to retreat to Fort Ticonderoga. Later, George Washington ensured his troops were healthy enough to fight the British by having soldiers in the Continental Army inoculated against smallpox. Today, vaccines protect our military, police forces, frontline workers, schools, communities, and families.
From the Immunize.org shop! Laminated VIS QR code tables deliver CDC VISs directly to your patients’ smartphones (Spanish translation available).
VISs explain both risks and benefits of vaccination. Federal law requires you to document provision of CDC’s current VIS before administering any vaccine covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. CDC recommends VISs accompany other vaccines, too. An easy, paperless way to comply with the law is for patients to scan a QR code and access the VIS from a smartphone or tablet.
CDC produces official VISs only in English. CDC does not produce or certify available translations, so the official CDC VIS should accompany any translation.
These tables belong in any room where vaccinations are given. Key features include:
- Never out-of-date: Any time a VIS or translation is updated, the QR code links to the new VIS.
- Use as booklet or poster: The laminated table arrives folded like a newspaper. It is suitable for desk use as an 8.5" x 11" booklet or wall mounted as an 11" x 17" poster.
- One version for official CDC VISs and one for Spanish translations: The table of VISs in English is sold individually. The table of Spanish translations is sold as a bundle with the table of official VISs so it is easy to make both available.
- Spanish version usable by non-Spanish speakers: The Spanish QR code table has side-by-side text in English to support its use by non-Spanish speakers.
- Easy access to all available translations: Both versions include a QR code link to the Immunize.org index of all VIS translations available in dozens of languages.
- Bonus content: The reverse side of the QR code poster includes links to Immunize.org's “Addressing Vaccination Anxiety” resources and additional VIS content.
Pricing (includes all shipping and handling costs)
| Laminated CDC VIS QR Code Table (English) | Bundle: Laminated CDC (English) + Spanish Translation VIS QR Code Tables (includes 1 CDC VIS table and 1 table of translations) |
| 1 copy: $14.00 | 1 bundle: $20.00 |
| 2 copies: $9.00 each | 2 bundles: $16.00 each |
| 3–4 copies: $6.50 each | 3–4 bundles: $12.00 each |
| 5–9 copies: $5.00 each | 5–9 bundles: $8.50 each |
| 10–19 copies: $4.00 each | 10–19 bundles: $7.00 each |
| 20–59 copies: $3.00 each | 20–59 bundles: $6.00 each |
| 60+ copies: $2.50 each | 60+ bundles: $5.00 each |
Visit the Shop Immunize.org: Laminated VIS QR Code Tables web page to view images and order today! For additional information, call 651-647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org.
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, so vaccine outreach is more important than ever.
If you are looking for tools to explain meningococcal vaccine recommendations and assist in improving adolescent coverage for all recommended vaccines, view this site. Check out the many helpful tools from Immunize.org, CDC, and other organizations.
The website is divided into five easy-to-access sections:
- Vaccinate Teens: teen vaccination schedules and tips for improving vaccination rates
- Give 2 Doses: tools to help improve second dose coverage of MenACWY vaccine
- 16-Year-Old Visit: resources to help providers and patients remember the important vaccines recommended for 16-year-olds
- Tools for Providers: tools to explain meningococcal ACWY vaccine recommendations and improve coverage for all adolescent vaccines
- Resources: links to print materials, organizations involved in adolescent vaccination, personal stories about the importance of vaccination, and other resources of interest
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
- MenACWY: You're Not Done If You Give Just One: Give 2 Doses to Strengthen Protection
- Recommending MenACWY: What to Say and How to Say It
- Top 10 Ways to Improve Adolescent Immunization Rates
- Developing an Immunization Culture in Your Office
- Know Your Rates: Measuring Immunization Success in Your Practice
- Immunize.org: You're 16: We Recommend These Vaccines for You
- Dear Colleague Letter: 16-Year-Old Patients: Make Sure They Receive Their Annual Well Visit and Vaccinations, signed by six medical societies
- Immunize.org: Ask the Experts: Meningococcal ACWY
- CDC: ACIP Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations
- CDC: Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years—National Immunization Survey–Teen, United States, 2024
In its June 5 issue, JAMA Network Open published Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Vaccination and Acute Respiratory Illness in Infants. This study estimated the effectiveness of maternal vaccination with RSVpreF (Abrysvo, Pfizer) given at the recommended gestational age and at least 14 days before delivery. The two outcomes of interest were hospitalization for RSV-associated acute respiratory illness (ARI) and lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) among infants age 90 days or younger during the first two post licensure RSV seasons (2023–24 and 2024–25). A portion of the abstract appears below.
Among 274 included infants (83 with RSV and 191 controls), . . . 11 of 83 infants with RSV (13.3%) and 71 of 191 controls (37.2%) were born to RSVpreF-vaccinated individuals. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated to be 67.6% . . . against RSV-associated ARI hospitalization and 69.0% . . . against RSV-associated LRTD hospitalization from 0 through 90 days of age. Among infants aged 0 to 30 days, vaccine effectiveness against RSV-associated ARI hospitalization was estimated to be 74.2%.
Related Link:
- Pittsburgh's NPR: RSV Vaccine in Pregnancy Reduces Infant Hospitalization by Nearly 70%, Pitt Study Finds (6/23/26)
In its June 17 issue, Lancet published Cervical Cancer Mortality Trends Following HPV Vaccination in England, 2001–24: An Analysis of Population-Based Mortality Data. The Interpretation section of the abstract appears below.
Our findings provide the first robust national-level evidence, albeit observational, that high HPV vaccination coverage is associated with a substantial reduction in cervical cancer deaths. This is shown by the substantial decrease in cervical cancer deaths observed among women aged 20–29 years in England, particularly among those vaccinated at ages 12–13 years. These findings support the achievability of the WHO goal of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem, and efforts should be made to achieve high vaccine uptake among young adolescents globally.
To learn simple tips and tricks for using our websites efficiently, please register for our next set of Website Office Hours on Wednesday, July 8, at 4:00 p.m. (ET) or Thursday, July 9, at 12:00 p.m. (ET). The same content will be covered in both sessions.
We will open each 30-minute session with a short, live demonstration on navigating our popular public-facing websites, VaccineInformation.org and LetsGetRealAboutVaccines.org. You can submit questions when you register or participate 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.
Mark your calendar for future Immunize.org Website Office Hours.
The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Center for Immunization Research and Education will host a webinar titled What's in Vaccines? The Purpose, Safety, and Science Behind Their Ingredients at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on July 16. This webinar will explain the science behind common vaccine ingredients, review the evidence on vaccine safety, and address common myths and misconceptions. Attendees will also gain practical strategies for answering questions about vaccine ingredients with clarity and confidence.
This activity is approved for free CME and CPE credit.
Register for the webinar.
This summer, Voices for Vaccines (VFV) will host three webinars in its 5-part Vaccine Advocates training series, designed to equip participants with tools for action. This series is intended for any person interested in becoming an effective community advocate for vaccination. The webinars include:
- How to Talk About Vaccines at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on July 16
- Resilience for Advocates: Managing Conflict & Preventing Burnout at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on July 22
- Storytelling for Social Change: Shaping the Vaccine Narrative at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on August 19
Related Links
- VFV: The Role of Storytelling in Advocacy web page
- VFV: Vaccine Advocates web page
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.
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Editorial Information
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Editor-in-ChiefKelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
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Managing EditorJohn D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
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Associate EditorSharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
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Writer/Publication CoordinatorTaryn Chapman, MS
Courtnay Londo, MA -
Style and Copy EditorMarian Deegan, JD
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Web Edition ManagersArkady Shakhnovich
Jermaine Royes -
Technical ReviewerKayla Ohlde