I Raise the Rates! August Edition

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 selection of media articles related to immunization.

Updates from the

American College of Physicians (ACP)

NEW Practical Immunization Microlearning Resources from the American College of Physicians 

Access the following mobile-friendly microlearning resources below to learn more about:  


Practical strategies for making strong flu vaccine recommendations: 



Effective communication strategies for making vaccine recommendations and building vaccine confidence:



Guidance on the new pneumococcal vaccine ACIP recommendations:


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Get Your FREE Adult Vaccination Referral Resource Containing Up-To-Date ACIP Recommended Vaccines for Adult Patients  

This report updates the 2021–22 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) concerning the use of seasonal influenza vaccines in the United States (MMWR Recomm Rep 2021;70[No. RR-5]:1–24). Routine annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications. For each recipient, a licensed and age-appropriate vaccine should be used. With the exception of vaccination for adults aged ≥65 years, ACIP makes no preferential recommendation for a specific vaccine when more than one licensed, recommended, and age-appropriate vaccine is available.

Access the Full Report Here

Frequently Asked Influenza Questions: 2022-2023 Season

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What’s New for 2022-2023


A few things are different for the 2022-2023 influenza (flu) season, including:


  • The composition of flu vaccines has been updated.
  • For the 2022-2023 flu season, there are three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommended for people 65 years and older. These are Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccineFlublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine.
  • The recommended timing of vaccination is similar to last season. For most people who need only one dose for the season, September and October are generally good times to get vaccinated. Vaccination in July and August is not recommended for most adults but can be considered for some groups. While it is ideally recommended to get vaccinated by the end of October, it’s important to know that vaccination after October can still provide protection during the peak of flu season.
  • The age indication for the cell culture-based inactivated flu vaccine, Flucelvax Quadrivalent (ccIIV4), changed from 2 years and older to 6 months and older.
  • Pre-filled Afluria Quadrivalent flu shots for children are not expected to be available this season. However, children can receive this vaccine from a multidose vial at the recommended dose.
Read the Full FAQ Here

Updated ACIP Seasonal Flu Vaccination Recommendations for the 2022-2023 Flu Season

Interim Recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine in Persons Aged ≥18 years

The NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine is a recombinant spike (rS) protein nanoparticle vaccine with Matrix-M adjuvant to protect against infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. On July 13, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Novavax vaccine for primary COVID-19 immunization of unvaccinated adults aged ≥18 years, administered as 2 doses (5 μg rS and 50 μg Matrix-M adjuvant in each dose) 3 weeks apart

Read the Report Here

Featured Articles and Resources

Biden Administration Announces Measures

to Combat Monkeypox

The Biden administration is aiming to supply additional vaccines to areas that will be holding events with a large number of LGBTQI+ individuals, according to a statement. The White House specifically listed Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Atlanta Black Pride, and Pridefest in Oakland, Calif.


"As part of a pilot program announced earlier this month, the Biden-Harris Administration is making additional vaccines available to these jurisdictions and providing additional support on the ground, including increased access to testing and other prevention resources," the White House said.


The Biden administration plans to supply Louisiana with up to 6,000 additional doses of the monkeypox vaccine. It will also send 5,500 and 2,400 doses of the vaccine to Georgia and Oakland respectively.

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Pneumococcal 24-Valent Conjugate Vaccine

Gets Fast Track Designation

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to VAX-24 for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease in adults 18 years of age and older.


VAX-24 is an investigational 24-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). The immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of VAX-24 is being compared to Prevnar 20 in an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical proof-of-concept study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05266456) in adults 18 to 49 years of age (phase 1) and in adults 50 to 64 years of age (phase 2). Topline safety results are anticipated later this year.

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Social Media Messaging Strategies Can Help Educate Young Adults About HPV Vaccine Interventions

Public health researchers from the University of California, Irvine identified several social media messaging strategies to educate young adults and their parents about evidence-based interventions around the human papillomaviruses (HPV). Their findings could help inform future health information social media campaigns, beyond the HPV vaccine, on the benefits of lifesaving interventions.


Roughly 14 million Americans are infected with new HPV cases annually as the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. Yet, despite the robust safety profile of HPV vaccination that has reduced HPV morbidity by 64% among vaccinated 14- to 19-year-olds, low vaccination rates (roughly 55%) persist particularly among young adults aged 18–26 and have dropped drastically during the pandemic.

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CDC Pink Book Webinar Series

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CDC is offering a series of weekly one-hour web-on-demand videos that will provide an overview of vaccination principles, general best practices, immunization strategies, and specific information about vaccine-preventable diseases and the vaccines that prevent them. Each video will include updated information from recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meetings and votes.

Access the Full Pink-Book Webinar Series Here