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Welcome to the Vaccines for Respiratory Illnesses Newsletter! Here you'll find the latest news and information on respiratory illness vaccine related topics.
- Latest News
- Clinical Updates
- Training and Events
- Resources
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February is American Heart Month, and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is raising awareness about the importance of vaccines for people with heart disease and other chronic health conditions.
Here are 5 reasons why getting vaccinated is good for your heart:
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Fight Flu: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among people hospitalized with flu this season, about 90% had at least 1 chronic health condition, and 45% of adults hospitalized for flu from October-November 2023 had heart disease. People with heart disease are 6 times more likely to have a heart attack within a week after getting flu.
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Pneumonia Prevention: People with heart disease are at increased risk of hospitalization and even death from complications of pneumococcal disease, which can include pneumonia and other serious infections.
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COVID-19 Concerns: People with COVID-19 are 3-8 times more likely to have a heart attack and 3-7 times more likely to have a stroke. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 not only reduces the risk of severe illness, but also helps prevent potential cardiovascular complications linked to the virus.
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Prevent RSV: RSV is a common respiratory virus that impacts people of all ages and can be serious. Complications such as heart attacks and heart failure occur in about 20% of adult patients hospitalized with RSV.
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Increased Immunity (and Overall Well-Being): Getting vaccinated is part of a healthy lifestyle, particularly for those with heart disease. Vaccination helps protect against specific diseases and contributes to overall immune system strength. Like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting regular check-ups, vaccines can play a vital role in keeping you healthy.
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A: ACIP recommends RSV vaccination of all adults age 75 years or older. ACIP has specified several conditions as reasons for RSV vaccination before age 75 years (age 60 through 74 years) due to their association with a high risk of hospitalization with severe RSV disease compared to otherwise healthy adults of the same age. An individual’s risk is increased further if they have more than one of the conditions.
- Non-immunocompromising chronic health conditions:
- Chronic cardiovascular disease
- Chronic lung disease
- End-stage kidney disease or dependence on hemodialysis or other renal replacement therapy
- Diabetes mellitus complicated by chronic kidney disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, or other end-organ damage, or requiring treatment with insulin or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor
- Severe obesity
- Chronic liver disease (such as cirrhosis)
- Neurologic or neuromuscular conditions causing impaired airway clearance or respiratory muscle weakness
- Chronic blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease, thalassemia)
- Moderate or severe immune compromise (due to a medical condition, immunosuppressive medications, or treatment)
- Overall frailty (based on an assessment of frailty)
- Residence in a nursing home or other long-term care facility
- Other chronic medical conditions or risk factors not specified in this list that a healthcare provider determines might increase the risk of severe disease due to RSV respiratory infection
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State Summary
- Influenza-like illness activity was very high during week 4 (January 19 – January 25, 2025).
- To date, 83 lab-confirmed influenza deaths have been reported for the 2024-2025 season.
- To date, 95 influenza-like illness outbreaks in long term care facilities have been reported for the 2024-2025 season.
- During week 4, 6 percent of visits among Influenza-like Illness Network (ILINet) participants were for influenza-like illness, which was above the baseline of 2.1 percent.
- During week 4, 20.4 percent of specimens tested by WHO (World Health Organization) and NREVSS (National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System) collaborating laboratories in Washington were positive for influenza.
- Influenza A and Influenza B were reported to the ILINet surveillance system during week 4.
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Key Highlights:
The DOH COVID-19 dashboard displays the number of COVID-19 vaccines that are administered in Washington, as well as estimates of the percentage of Washingtonians who are vaccinated against COVID-19.
- 17.2% of Washingtonians are vaccinated with the current 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. That's less than 2 out of 10 Washingtonians.
DOH's Influenza dashboard describes the number of flu vaccines being administered in Washington, as well as estimates of the percentage of Washingtonians who have received a flu shot this year.
- 28.0% of Washingtonians are vaccinated with this year’s flu shot. That's less than 3 out of 10 Washingtonians.
Additional respiratory illness data (including some RSV vaccination metrics) is available on the Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard.
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In most of the contiguous United States, recommendations call for discontinuing 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 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 if they are younger than 8 months. Those who are age 8 months through 19 months should also get nirsevimab during their second RSV season.
Refer to the or to Immunize.org’s for details. There are no issues with nirsevimab supply.
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During a recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, the team reviewed and discussed changes to the recommendations for the use of pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) in adults 50 years and older. They voted on recommending PCV vaccine for everyone 50 and up who has not already received a dose. The new recommendation was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on January 9, 2025. More information on this topic can be found at the following links:
PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor (Download this app to determine which PCV vaccines are recommended)
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The Adult Vaccine Program (AVP) vaccine request opportunity for non-COVID/non-flu vaccines is now OPEN and will remain open for 3 weeks. The last day to place an AVP vaccine request for this order cycle will be on Tuesday February 25th. Please submit your requests as soon as you are able.
AVP vaccine requests take place in the IIS. Each facility will have an order set available in the IIS containing the vaccine types prioritized on their AVP provider agreement. This is a vaccine request, not an order, and requests may be reduced to stay within the AVP’s available budget. If you do not have familiarity with placing a vaccine request or receiving vaccines in the IIS, you can review this AVP Vaccine Ordering and Receiving Guide for step by step instructions.
In order to receive an allocation of AVP vaccine, your facility’s provider agreement and accountability must be current. This includes the submission of up-to-date inventory in the IIS, and temperature log submission in Redcap, including any outstanding items. Please ensure that your facility inventory is accurate in the IIS, as current inventory can affect a site's allocation.
- If you need assistance with Redcap, you can review any of our resources around navigating temperature log submission in Redcap: Step-by-Step Guide| Video | PDF
The next AVP order request opportunity for these vaccine types will be in August, so you may request a 6-month supply of vaccine during this request window. When placing your request, please keep in mind that AVP vaccines are a limited resource in high demand. Waste should be kept below 5%, so please order intentionally with regards to what your facility can administer.
These AVP vaccines can only be administered to uninsured adults 19+ years of age. Please keep in mind that Medicare/ Medicaid are considered insurance and thus individuals with these plans do not qualify for AVP.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at WAAdultVaccines@doh.wa.gov.
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February 12, 2025 at 9:30 AM PST
Clinical Care Options, in partnership with the , will host a webinar titled , 3:30–4:30 p.m. (ET) on February 6 and 12:30–1:30 p.m. (ET) on February 12.
Participants will learn about the burden of RSV among older adults residing in long-term care, develop strategies for counseling patients and caregivers on the risk of severe RSV, and gain insights on how to implement RSV vaccine recommendations in long-term care settings. Presenters include two professors of geriatric medicine: Dallas Nelson, MD, FACP, and Nicole Osevala, MD, FACP. The program is supported by an educational grant from GSK.
There is no fee to attend. CME, CNE, and CPE credit are available.
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February 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM PST
Join the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and partner organizations, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the National Coalition for Infant Health (NCfIH), for a webinar discussion on strategies to help prevent infectious diseases and increase uptake of recommended vaccines during pregnancy. Speakers will discuss vaccines commonly recommended during pregnancy in the US.
At the conclusion of the activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe the importance of immunization in protecting pregnant women and infants
- Discuss disparities in immunization rates among pregnant women in the US
- Identify strategies for improving vaccination coverage among pregnant women in the US
You will have to create a free NFID account to proceed with registration.
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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will host their next meeting on February 26-28, 2025. The ACIP holds three regular meetings each year to review scientific data and vote on vaccine recommendations. Meetings are open to the public via live webcast. Topics being covered include: Meningococcal, influenza, RSV, HPV vaccines and more.
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FOR SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES
FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES
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If you aren't already signed up for Vaccines for Respiratory Illnesses Newsletter, please visit the Department of Health's email subscribers page here. Once you enter your email, on the next page expand the Immunization topic, select Vaccines for Respiratory Illnesses Newsletter, and click submit.
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This newsletter summarizes content beginning the week of January 26, 2025 and was sent out on February 7, 2025. |
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