Immunization Works December 2016

January 4, 2017: Content on this page kept for historical reasons.

MMWR

Influenza Vaccination Coverage During Pregnancy—Selected Sites in the U.S., 2005–06 through 2013–14 Influenza Vaccine Seasons: Seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women because of their increased risk for influenza-associated complications. In addition, receipt of influenza vaccine by women during pregnancy has been shown to protect their infants for several months after birth. As part of its case-control surveillance study of medications and birth defects, the Birth Defects Study of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University has recorded data on vaccinations received during pregnancy since the 2005–06 influenza vaccination season. Among the 5,318 mothers of infants without major structural birth defects (control newborns) in this population, seasonal influenza vaccination coverage was approximately 20% in the seasons preceding the 2009–10 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza season. During the 2009–10 influenza vaccination season, influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women increased to 33%, and has increased modestly since then to 41% during the 2013–14 season. Among pregnant women who received influenza vaccine during the 2013–14 season, 80% reported receiving their vaccine in a traditional health care setting (e.g., the office of their obstetrician or primary care physician or their prenatal clinic), and 20% received it in a work/school, pharmacy/supermarket, or government setting. Incorporating routine administration of seasonal influenza vaccine into the management of pregnant women by their health care providers is an important public health intervention that might increase coverage. Please read the December 9 MMWR for the full report.

Use of a 2-Dose Schedule for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination—Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP): Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is recommended to prevent HPV infections and HPV-associated diseases, including cancers. Routine vaccination at age 11 or 12 years has been recommended by ACIP since 2006 for females and since 2011 for males. The December 16 MMWR provides recommendations and guidance regarding use of HPV vaccines and updates ACIP HPV vaccination recommendations previously published in 2014 and 2015. It includes new recommendations for use of a 2-dose schedule for girls and boys who initiate the vaccination series at ages 9–14 years. Three doses continue to be recommended for persons who initiate the vaccination series at age 15–26 years and for persons who are immunocompromised.

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Influenza Information

Influenza Vaccination Update: CDC has released early-season flu vaccination coverage estimates for the 2016–17 influenza season. Based on survey data collected through early November 2016, influenza vaccination coverage was similar to the same time last season. Of people surveyed in a sample of the overall U.S. population, 40% reported that they or their children had received a flu vaccine, including 37% of children aged 6 months–17 years and 41% of adults aged 18 years and older. Although flu vaccination estimates among adults and children are similar to early estimates from last season for all age groups, CDC is looking carefully at vaccination rates for children and for adults aged 50 years and older. Among both adults and children, the most common places reported for receiving flu vaccination were medical locations (children: 85.4%, adults: 51.9%). Retail settings (24.3%) and workplaces (17.6%) were other important venues for adults.

CDC also surveyed pregnant women and health care workers regarding flu vaccination. While early estimates show vaccination among pregnant women (47%) is 6 percentage points higher than early estimates last season, more than half of pregnant women remain unvaccinated. Vaccination among health care providers (69%) is about the same as it was at this time last season. Last season, coverage among health care personnel working in long-term care facilities increased 5 percentage points (69%), but was still the lowest among all health care provider groups. The early coverage estimate this season for those working in long-term facilities (55%) is still the lowest among all health care providers.

The December 9 press release summarizes U.S. influenza activity for the 2016–17 flu season so far, as well as the impact of influenza during the 2015–16 season.

Final 2015–16 Influenza Season Impact: CDC has released a report on the impact of influenza vaccination during the 2015–16 influenza season. For the 2015–16 influenza season, CDC estimates that influenza vaccination prevented approximately 5.1 million influenza illnesses, 2.5 million influenza-associated medical visits, and 71,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations. These estimates of averted disease burden are comparable to some previous seasons. During the 2015–16 influenza season, CDC estimates that influenza vaccination prevented 3,000 pneumonia and influenza (PI) deaths. This estimate is similar to estimates of averted PI deaths during previous seasons. Past comparative data suggest that for the 2015–16 season, a more complete estimate of averted deaths, which looks at respiratory and circulatory (RC) deaths, may be between two and four times greater than estimates using only PI deaths.

Thank You for Participating in National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) 2016: This year’s NIVW was held December 4–10, 2016. CDC would like to thank all partners for participating in NIVW activities and for making each activity a success. The success of NIVW relies on the involvement of our partners at all levels.

Highlights of NIVW events and activities:

• CDC kicked off NIVW with a Blog-a-thon on December 5, encouraging partners to write posts on their blog on the importance of flu vaccination. More than 25 partners participated in the Blog-A-Thon, generating more than 30 blog posts.
• CDC featured Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) technology expert, Dr. John Barnes in a Reddit Science Ask Me Anything (AMA) digital Q&A forum on December 6. The forum generated more than 75 questions and more than 220 comments. You can read the full AMA conversation here.
• CDC sponsored a Twitter Hashtag Challenge on December 7 to spread awareness of the flu season and to remind the public that it’s not too late to get vaccinated. This challenge generated an estimated 58.4 million impressions, with more than 10,000 tweets using the #PutFluInAFilm hashtag. At the height of the challenge, our hashtag was the number 2 trend in the U.S. and remained a top 10 trend for almost 6 hours. Check out CDC’s NIVW #PutFluInAFilm Challenge recap here.

Continuing Flu Vaccination Efforts for the 2016–17 Flu Season: Flu activity is just beginning this season, but increases in activity are expected in the coming weeks. While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, influenza activity has peaked between December and February about 75% of the time in the past 30 years, and significant flu activity can occur as late as May, meaning that vaccination after November has still offered substantial protection during most seasons. As long as flu activity is ongoing, it’s not too late to get vaccinated, even in January or later. Remember, it takes about 3 weeks after vaccination for the immune system to fully respond and for antibodies to provide protection, making now the perfect time to be vaccinated.

Continue to fight the flu this season. Stay up to date on the latest flu information from CDC by following @CDCFlu on Twitter and signing up for CDC’s weekly Influenza Newsletter.

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Resources and Information

Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, 13^th Edition (the Pink Book): The 13^th edition of the textbook, Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, is available. Published by CDC, NCIRD, and the Public Health Foundation (PHF), the Pink Book provides health care professionals with the most comprehensive information available on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. The Pink Book is available for purchase from the PHF Learning Resource Center, and the chapters and appendices can be viewed/downloaded from the NCIRD vaccines site.

Webinar Series for Pink Book: The 2016 Pink Book webinar series concluded on September 21, but recasts are available for viewing on CDC’s website. Continuing Education (CE) is still available for some of the webinars. The total number of registrants for the 15-episode series was 4,571, with 1,181 participants registering for the most popular webinar, “Principles of Vaccination.”

Current Issues in Immunization NetConferences: Immunization netconferences are live, one-hour events combining an online visual presentation with simultaneous audio via telephone conference call, along with a live question and answer session. Registration, Internet access, and a separate phone line are needed to participate. The most recent netconference was held November 9, 2016, and the archived replay is now available. The subject was “Vaccines during Pregnancy: A Strong Record of Safety.” Please visit the netconference web page for other archived webcasts and information on upcoming netconferences.

You Call the Shots Modules: You Call the Shots is a web-based training course developed through the Project to Enhance Immunization Content in Nursing Education and Training. The influenza module has just been updated and is now available. Please visit the You Call the Shots web page for additional information and other modules. Continuing Education (CE) is available for viewing a module and completing an evaluation.

Measles Resources: CDC aims to continue increasing awareness of measles among individuals and families and to encourage MMR vaccination. To support disease prevention and vaccination educational efforts, CDC has developed a variety of measles and vaccination resources, including fact sheets, podcasts, and matte articles. There are also infographics available in English and Spanish.

CDC and Medscape: This special series of commentaries, part of a collaboration between CDC and Medscape, is designed to deliver CDC’s authoritative guidance directly to Medscape’s physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers. In this series, CDC experts offer video commentaries on current topics important to practicing clinicians. NCIRD has contributed to a variety of commentaries. You may need to sign up and log in as a member to view the commentaries. Registration is free.

Immunization Resources: Publications are available for ordering at CDC-INFO on Demand. You can search for immunization publications by using the “Programs” drop-down menu and selecting “Immunization and Vaccines,” or you can search by “Title.” Numerous items are available, including the 2016 immunization schedules, the Parents’ Guide to Childhood Immunizations, and various campaign materials.

CDC Job Openings: CDC is committed to recruiting and hiring qualified candidates for a wide range of immunization and other positions. Researchers, medical officers, epidemiologists, and other specialists are often needed to fill positions within CDC. For a current listing, including international opportunities, please visit CDC’s employment web page.

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Calendar of Events

Pink Book Course, Hawaii Immunization Coalition, January 10–11, 2017, Honolulu, HI

Florida Immunization Summit, February 2–4, 2017, St. Petersburg, FL

Spring Clinical Vaccinology Course, NFID, March 10–12, 2017, Chicago, IL

California Immunization Coalition Summit, April 3–4, 2017, Riverside, CA

NCIRD Calendar of Events

Upcoming ACIP Meetings

Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) Calendar

Please visit the newsletter web page, where you can view archived copies of the newsletter and also subscribe to receive e-mail updates when newsletters are posted.

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