Adolescent Immunization Action Week (AIAW) is an annual observance urging healthcare providers, parents, and adolescents to help keep adolescents up to date on immunizations. AIAW is a reminder that vaccination can protect adolescents and young adults from getting sick and missing out on the activities that are important to them.

The Unity Consortium has created tools to help healthcare providers amplify messages to parents, adolescents, and young adults. Materials include ready-to-use graphics and a short article about the observance for emails, newsletters, or blogs.

On April 4, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. (ET), the Unity Consortium will host a webinar titled, "A Conversation about Vaccination with Young Advocates." During the webinar, Dr. Paul Offit, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton will discuss challenges in closing the gap in adolescent vaccination and talk with teen health advocates about their needs and challenges. Click here to register for the webinar.

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is a yearly observance highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).

A primary NIIW focus this year is ensuring that families stay on track for their children’s well-child visits and routinely recommended vaccinations. On-time vaccination is critical to provide protection against potentially life-threatening diseases.

See the Resource Spotlight section of this newsletter for immunization campaign resources.

Thank you for all that you do to protect Massachusetts children and adolescents from vaccine preventable diseases!

On March 14, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. The authorization allows for a single bivalent booster dose in children age 6 months through 4 years to be given after completing the 3-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine previously authorized for this age group.

On March 16, CDC issued limited updated recommendations for the use of the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine as a booster dose in children age 6 months through 4 years. The updated recommendation for the use of bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine follows:

People ages 6 months and older are recommended to receive 1 bivalent mRNA booster dose after completion of any FDA-approved or FDA-authorized primary series or previously received monovalent booster dose(s) with the following exception: children ages 6 months–4 years who receive 2 primary series doses of a monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 1 bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the third primary series dose are not authorized to receive a booster dose at this time. Monovalent mRNA vaccines are not authorized as a booster dose.

See the Resource Spotlight section of this newsletter for additional resources.

Reference: IZ Express, Issue 1,683: March 22, 2023

Seasonal influenza activity continues to remain low in Massachusetts and nationally as reported in MDPH's Weekly Flu Report for the week ending March 18, 2023.

Two influenza-associated deaths were reported for the week ending March 18, 2023, for a total of 134 pediatric deaths so far during the 2022-2023 influenza season.

Interim Estimates of 2022–23 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness — Wisconsin, October 2022–February 2023, were published in the February 24, 2023 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The interim estimates of 2022–23 influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) from two concurrent studies in Wisconsin suggest that the current season’s influenza vaccines are providing substantial protection against influenza. Data from the studies found that effectiveness of the 2022–23 influenza vaccine was 54% for preventing medically attended influenza A infection among persons aged <65 years and 71% for preventing symptomatic influenza A illness among children and adolescents aged <18 years.

CDC continues to recommend, with rare exceptions, that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as influenza strains continue to circulate.

References:

Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report (FluView), CDC

Weekly Flu Report, MDPH

The Massachusetts Vaccine Confidence Project (MVCP) has published its first newsletter. Each newsletter will introduce you to resources that we think can help you to increase vaccine confidence in your practice. Click here to access the newsletter.

Click here if you are interested in receiving future newsletters.

Please contact Cynthia McReynolds (cmcreynolds@mcaap.org) if you have vaccine confidence resources that you think would be helpful to include in a future MVCP newsletter.

Thank you for your efforts to improve vaccine confidence in Massachusetts!

Recently Published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

Click here to visit the conference website.

Click here for more information and to register for the webinar.

Click here for the Immunization Updates schedule and topics. Registration for the updates will open in April, 2023.

Click here to access the webinar recording, presentation slides and resources.

Click here to access the webinar recording, presentation slides and resources.

Click here to visit our website!