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The Maine CDC's Maine Immunization Program is excited to announce an opening for the Adult Immunization Coordinator position!
This pivotal role will focus on developing and implementing Maine’s Adult Immunization Program, ensuring that enrolled providers meet program standards.
As the Adult Immunization Coordinator, you will:
- Lead initiatives for eligibility screening, storage and handling, and staff training
- Foster partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations
- Oversee outreach and education activities to promote adult immunization across Maine.
To learn more about this opportunity and apply, click here.
In most of the contiguous United States, recommendations call for discontinuing RSV vaccination (Abrysvo, Pfizer) during pregnancy each year on January 31, in line with the typical seasonality of RSV. Maternal vaccination from 32 through 36 weeks and 6 days gestation should resume on September 1.
RSV continues to circulate widely. CDC recommends administration of nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi) through March 31 to susceptible infants younger than 8 months of age in most of the contiguous United States. As with RSV vaccination during pregnancy, specific recommendations concerning timing of RSV immunization in tropical areas or in Alaska may vary due to differences in RSV seasonal patterns. RSV preventive antibodies provide immediate protection to the young child. Nirsevimab is important for all infants not otherwise protected against RSV if they are younger than 8 months.
Those who are at high risk for severe RSV disease age 8 months through 19 months should also get nirsevimab during their second RSV season.
Refer to the 2025 CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents or to Immunize.org nirsevimab standing orders template for details. There are no issues with nirsevimab supply.
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Immunize.org edited its Don't Be Guilty of These Preventable Errors in Vaccine Storage and Handling! resource. Updates now indicate that COVID-19 content is now blended into the CDC's main vaccine storage toolkit. Additionally, two new bullets were created to encourage:
- Checking for NSF/ANSI 456 certification indicating compliance with voluntary standards of quality performance when purchasing new vaccine storage units
- Use of digital data loggers for temperature monitoring, which is required for Vaccines for Children (VFC) vaccines
Don't Be Guilty of These Preventable Errors in Vaccine Storage and Handling!
Influenza (flu) is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and flu can affect people differently. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza.
Flu vaccination has important benefits. It can reduce flu illnesses, visits to doctor's offices, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as make symptoms less severe and reduce flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
Who Needs a Flu Vaccine | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
To ensure that Maine continues to be a universal vaccine state, it is crucial to make sure that we are giving the vaccine to eligible patients only, so we can ensure that correct funding is used when purchasing these vaccines. This is the foundation of the Vaccines for Children’s Program.
It is expected that Provider offices give VFC vaccine to eligible patients only:
Federally Vaccine-eligible children (VFC eligible) are:
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Enrolled in Medicaid
- Uninsured (self-pay)
- Underinsured (insurance does not pay for vaccines)
- Under the age of 19
- Non-US Citizen Children (if they meet basic VFC eligibility criteria. Under 19, Medicaid, un/underinsured) NOT intended for visitors or temporary stays
State Vaccine-eligible children are:
- Privately insured,
- Under the age of 19 and,
- Have a Maine residence.
Ways to prevent eligibility errors:
- Make sure that your VFC vaccines are labeled and kept separated from your private stock and that all employees are aware of which/when to use them. There are labels available here.
- If you don’t have these already, labeled bins and shelves can be helpful in addition to marking state or VFC on the boxes of vaccine from the VFC program.
- VFC eligibility screening must take place with each immunization visit to ensure the child’s eligibility status has not changed. This eligibility status must be documented with each visit. Patient Eligibility Screening Record Appendix E
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