LACDPH Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program March 2024 Updates

County of Los Angeles, California sent this bulletin at 03/14/2024 03:04 PM PDT

Vaccine Preventable Disease Program

 

 

You are subscribed to LACDPH Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program for Pediatric Information Hours. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

 

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COVID-19 Vaccine Updates 

COVID-19 Vaccine Update 2/29/24: All Adults 65+ Recommended to Get Additional COVID-19 Vaccine   

CDC now recommends that all adults ages 65 years and older receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose, at least 4 months from previous updated (2023-2024) COVID-19 vaccine dose, to help protect against severe disease from COVID-19. 

As of March 2024, only 12% of Los Angeles County residents have received an updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination rates for children and adolescents remain low, with 5% among adolescents 12-17 years old, 4% among children 5-11 years old, and 3% among children 6 months-4 years old receiving an updated dose. Please continue to speak to patients and their families about receiving an updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date and protected against the most recent circulating variants. 

Resources: 

Stay up-to-date on respiratory disease in LA County with the new RespWatch report- a summary of COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory disease surveillance. Sign up to receive the full report by emailing "Subscribe" to Influenza@ph.lacounty.gov or by visiting the RespWatch webpage. 

 

RSV Immunization for Infants 

Nirsevimab has been found to be 90% effective in preventing RSV-associated hospitalization among infants entering their first RSV season. For more information, read the latest CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from March 7, 2024.  

 

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March is the last month to recommend RSV Immunization for the winter period. If your practice sees infants and has not yet ordered Nirsevimab (BeyfortusTM), order now to protect as many patients as possible. Read CDC's Updated Guidance for Healthcare Providers on Increased Supply of Nirsevimab to Protect Young Children for Severe RSV during the 2023-2024 Respiratory Virus Season. CDC advises healthcare providers to return to ACIP recommendations on use of Nirsevimab in young children.  

  • Healthcare providers should administer a single dose of Nirsevimab to all infants aged less than 8 months, as well as children aged 8 through 19 months who are at increased risk, through the month of March.  
  • However, if the baby was born within 14 days of the birthing parent getting the RSV (Abrysvo) vaccine, the newborn should receive a single dose of Nirsevimab before or during the RSV season to protect them from severe illness. 

 

Ordering Tips: 

  • All VFC providers may order 50mg doses of Nirsevimab (BeyfortusTM) in limited quantities. Doses approved will be based on ordering history of index routine infant vaccines (hepatitis B vaccine birth doses for hospitals, first doses of pneumococcal vaccine for all other providers). 
  • Providers who have previously requested and received Nirsevimab may request additional doses. Nirsevimab re-orders will be approved based on usage and on-hand inventory of Nirsevimab, as well as available supply. 
  • Current limits and eligibility are subject to change based on supply. Please note the VFC program has depleted their 100mg allocation of Nirsevimab from CDC, therefore it is now turned off from ordering. 
  • Pfizer (Abrysvo) is no longer available for ordering through the VFC program. Any unused and unexpired supply of Pfizer (Abrysvo) should be kept for use for Fall 2024. See CDPH RSV Season Immunization Recommendations for more information on Abrysvo and Nirsevimab – slide 30.  
  • If you are not a VFC provider and are interested in enrolling, please reach out to LACDPH for assistance by emailing Jessica Woodard at jwoodard@ph.lacounty.gov.   

 

Free RSV Immunizations through LA County Department of Public Health 

  • Babies under 8 months of age who have Medi-Cal or are uninsured can get RSV immunizations at some Public Health clinics for free. For more information call the Public Health InfoLine at 1-833-540-0473 or visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/vaccines.   
  • In-home visits for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) childhood immunization are now available. Services are available free of charge to children who have Medi-Cal, are uninsured or underinsured. Access the Department of Public Health Family Vaccine Home Visitation Form for more information.   

nirsevimab

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Please take this short survey to help LAC DPH VPDC identify challenges to using CAIR and best support pediatric providers in implementing the administration of all recommended immunizations. For more information and CAIR resources, see links below: 

  • Learn more about the CAIR AB1797 requirements, and CAIR enrollment options, user roles, how to make account updates, and more. You can access both the training slides and recording for more information.   
  • Local CAIR Representative website – provides contact information for your local CAIR region representative, who can provide local CAIR user support, including local training options and issue resolutions.   

 

AIW

 

Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW24) will take place April 1-5. The goal of AIAW is to motivate adolescents and young adults to stay up to date on their recommended vaccines. Staying up to date on recommended vaccines helps protect adolescents and young adults from serious illnesses like meningitis, HPV-related cancers, flu, and COVID-19. Help adolescents and young adults stay healthy by scheduling appointments to learn more and get vaccinated. Get started by sharing the CDC-recommended vaccines for adolescent's graphic. 

adolescent week

For more information and resources, please visit the website. 

Tips and Practices

Resources

Resources for Patients and their Families 

  • 6 Tips for Staying Healthy this Virus Season (CDPH)- English  |Spanish 

If you are not administering COVID-19 vaccine or need to refer out, below are tools to assist patients in locating where to get vaccinated: 

  • Request free children's books from LACDPH to give to your patients as COVID-19 vaccine incentives. For more information, please complete the attached form and email to: csepulveda@ph.lacounty.gov. 

Upcoming Webinars

Updates from February 2024 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Meeting  

When: Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (PT) | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) This webinar will discuss the latest updates regarding U.S. vaccination recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults. Pre-registration is required. 

 

Afternoon TEAch: Best Practices for Promoting Adolescent Vaccination hosted by the California Department of Public Health  

When: Tuesday, March 26, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (PT). This webinar will provide updates on ACIP 2024 Immunization Schedule, tips on addressing HPV vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, and information on AB-659. Pre-registration is required.   

Registration Link

Addressing Gaps in Vaccine Access and Coverage hosted by National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)

When: Wednesday March 27, 2024, at 1:00 PM. (ET) This webinar will focus on issues and gaps related to vaccine access and coverage in the U.S.

Registration Link

 

past webinars

Emerging Conversations: Everything Old is New Again: The Return of Vaccine-preventable Diseases

The California Immunization Coalition, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) - California Chapters and the Infectious Disease Association of California, hosted a webinar to review the following vaccine preventable diseases: Measles, Pertussis, Varicella, Mumps and Polio through the lifespan. 

To view the recording of this webinar, please click on the following link which will take you to their YouTube Channel where the recording is posted for on demand viewing: https://youtu.be/QFqeDKctAMc.  

 

Quarterly Pediatric Information Session hosted by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and American Academy of Pediatrics

Thank you everyone for attending our session this week. This webinar focus was to provide situational updates for seasonal respiratory diseases, information on recommended vaccines for teens, and HPV vaccination.  If you are interested in reviewing the recording or receiving the slides, please contact csepulveda@ph.lacounty.gov