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The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) announced that more than 95 percent of school-age children have received all required vaccines, the first year Maine has exceeded the “herd immunity” threshold since reporting began in 2011.
The newly published Maine Annual School Assessment Survey for the 2023-2024 school year includes vaccination and exemption rates for children in kindergarten and grades 7 and 12.
Vaccination is the best means of protecting individuals and our communities against highly infectious, vaccine preventable diseases. “Herd immunity,” also known as “population immunity” or “community immunity,” is when most of a population develops immunity from infectious disease either through vaccination or previous infection. Achieving herd immunity with safe and effective vaccines makes diseases rarer and saves lives.
Read the full press release on the Maine DHHS website.
The formally known "Meningitis B Action Project" has recently gone through a rebrand and is now known as the "American Society for Meningitis Prevention". This change reflects an evolving vision and commitment to broader initiatives in the field of meningitis prevention.
Please visit the new website: The American Society for Meningitis Prevention.
Resources:
 We are now approaching the end the season for the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine. Please see below for changes in availabilty.
Novavax: Latest 2023-2024 expiry is 5/31/2024. Ordering will be turned off on April 30, 2024.
Pfizer & Moderna (expiry late September): Ordering may continue until the 2023-2024 supply has been depleted.
As a reminder, due to a shorter shelf life as compared to earlier in the season, we recommend that providers place smaller orders, (3-4 weeks of usage), more frequently. |
If you are a MIP enrolled adult vaccine provider and are needing additional vaccines than what you requested on your previous prebook, you can submit an "off cycle" request prior to the next prebooking cycle beginning in September 2024.
Please complete the questions on this form if you would like to request additional vaccines.
For questions, please contact MEAdultVaccine@maine.gov.
Earlier this week, a communication was sent to providers to launch the nomination period for the Immunization Champion Award!
Nominations are open and will be accepted until May 10, 2024.
The Immunization Champion Award will honor up to one Champion from each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, six cities, and eight U.S. territories. This award recognizes individuals who are working at the local level. It honors those doing an exemplary job or going above and beyond to promote or foster immunizations in their communities, for both children and adults.
We look forward to receiving your nominations. Please share this information with your networks.
Completed nomination forms can be sent via email to camille.erickson@maine.gov or faxed to 207-287-8127 ATTN: Camille Erickson.
April 24th–30th, 2024
World Immunization Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to highlight the collective action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The goal of World Immunization Week is for more children, adults – and their communities – to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, allowing them to live happier, healthier lives.
This year World Immunization Week will celebrate 50 years of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). EPI, an initiative launched by the World Health Organization in 1974, stands as a global endeavor to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for every child, regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic status. Click here to read more about EPI! |
