In this edition of I Raise the Rates (IRtR), you will find a variety of new resources from several public health partners, educational opportunities, and a brief selection of popular media articles related to immunization.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met June 26-28, 2024 

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met June 26-28, 2024, to discuss data and vote on multiple vaccines recommendations. ACIP approved the following recommendations by majority vote, and they have been adopted by the CDC Director, Dr. Mandy Cohen. They will be published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and reflected in CDC’s print and digital resources in the coming months.

COVID-19 Vaccines

• CDC recommends 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines as authorized or approved by FDA in persons ≥6 months of age.

Influenza Vaccines

• CDC reaffirms the recommendation for routine annual influenza vaccination of all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications.
• CDC recommends high-dose inactivated (HD-IIV3) and adjuvanted inactivated (aIIV3) influenza vaccines as acceptable options for influenza vaccination of solid organ transplant recipients aged 18-64 years who are on immunosuppressive medication regimens, without a preference over other age-appropriate IIV3s or RIV3.

RSV Vaccines – Adults

• For adults who did not receive an RSV vaccine last year:
• CDC recommends adults 75 years of age and older receive a single dose of RSV vaccine.
• CDC recommends adults 60–74 years of age and older who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease receive a single dose of RSV vaccine.

RSV Vaccines - Maternal/Pediatric

• CDC continues to recommend RSV immunizations to protect all babies from severe RSV.

DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB (Vaxelis®) Vaccine

• CDC recommends DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB (Vaxelis®) should be included with PRP-OMP (PedvaxHIB®) in the preferential recommendation for American Indian and Alaska Native infants based on the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) component.

Pneumococcal Vaccines

• CDC recommends PCV21 as an option for adults aged ≥19 years who currently have a recommendation to receive a dose of PCV.

CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

6/6/2024

Mpox Surveillance Based on Rash Characteristics-12 Emergency Departments, United States, June-December 2023

What is already known about this topic?

After the 2022 global mpox outbreak, which primarily affected gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM), U.S. cases declined, but low-level transmission continued. Local outbreaks have raised concern about mpox reemergence, including previously unsuspected cases among non-GBMSM.

What is added by this report?

During June–December 2023, among 196 patients aged ≥3 months evaluated at 13 U.S. emergency departments for an mpox-compatible rash irrespective of epidemiologic risk factors, three (1.5%) mpox cases were identified, all among unvaccinated GBMSM who had engaged in sex with one or more partners they met through smartphone dating applications.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Clinicians should remain vigilant for monkeypox virus infections, particularly among GBMSM, and educate patients about the importance of risk reduction and JYNNEOS vaccination.

CDC Recommends Updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines for Fall/Winter Virus Season

CDC

On Thursday, June 27^th, CDC recommended the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines and the updated 2024-2025 flu vaccines to protect against severe COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter.

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Updated COVID-19 vaccines will be available from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer later this year. This recommendation will take effect as soon as the new vaccines are available.

CDC encourages providers to begin their influenza vaccination planning efforts now and to vaccinate patients as indicated once 2024-2025 influenza vaccines become available.

Updated 2024-2025 flu vaccines will all be trivalent and will protect against an H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus. The composition of this season’s vaccine compared to last has been updated with a new influenza A(H3N2) virus.

Estimates of SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalization and Fatality Rates in the Prevaccination Period, United States

CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases

Abstract

"Few precise estimates of hospitalization and fatality rates from COVID-19 exist for naive populations, especially within demographic subgroups. We estimated rates among persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States during May 1–December 1, 2020, before vaccines became available. Both rates generally increased with age; fatality rates were highest for persons >85 years of age (24%) and lowest for children 1–14 years of age (0.01%). Age-adjusted case hospitalization rates were highest for African American or Black, not Hispanic persons (14%), and case-fatality rates were highest for Asian or Pacific Islander, not Hispanic persons (4.4%). Eighteen percent of hospitalized patients and 44.2% of those admitted to an intensive care unit died. Male patients had higher hospitalization (6.2% vs. 5.2%) and fatality rates (1.9% vs. 1.5%) than female patients. These findings highlight the importance of collecting surveillance data to devise appropriate control measures for persons in underserved racial/ethnic groups and older adults."

COVID-19 - Current Epidemic Growth Status (Based on R_t) for States and Territories

CDC

This interactive tool from the CDC allows users to view the current COVID-19 epidemic growth status for all US states and territories.

Key Points:

• "As of June 25, 2024, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 44 states and territories, declining or likely declining in 1 state and territory, and are stable or uncertain in 5 states and territories."

*As of May 10, 2024, Rt is estimated using data on emergency department visits reported through the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP).

2024 Adult Immunization Conference

Live Webinar

Wednesday, October 30th, 2024

8:30am-12:30pm