Immunization Update - June 2026 | | |
Advocacy Update
from Massachusetts Families for Vaccines
Contact Your Legislator to Support H.2554
Dear Immunization Advocates,
We’re in the final stretch. After months of work to advance House Bill 2554, Massachusetts has a real opportunity to strengthen school vaccine requirements and protect communities across the state. But before the session ends on July 31, lawmakers need to keep hearing one thing clearly: Massachusetts residents care about this, and we need strong vaccine laws now.
This is where you come in.
For the final seven weeks of the session, we need your help. We’re launching Seven Weeks of Advocacy with Massachusetts Families for Vaccines (MAFV), a coordinated effort to show lawmakers that support for this bill remains strong. Each week, we will ask you to take one action to help pass this bill. The asks will range from contacting lawmakers to showing up in person to support our efforts.
We’ll give you everything you need to know in this newsletter and share reminders on our social channels, so you never miss an opportunity to take action.
So…what’s our ask this week?
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Click the image above to send a message to lawmakers. You can customize the email or use the pre-written version after reviewing it. It only takes a few minutes, and it helps show lawmakers that their constituents support H.2554.
Can you join us in Fall River?
We’re coming to Fall River on Thursday, June 25th, for an evening of movement building featuring short talks from community members about why vaccines matter to them. The event will be held at UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship from 6:30 - 8:00; a light dinner will be provided. Click here for more details and to RSVP.
We’re excited to see what the Bay State can do. Thank you for standing with us.
Thanks,
Katie Blair, JD
Director, Massachusetts Families for Vaccines
katie@mafamiliesforvaccines.org
P.S. In case you missed it earlier, click the button below to send a message to lawmakers.
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Upcoming Webinar
2026 Vaccine Education Webinar Series
Protected & Proactive:
Bridging Immunization and Sexual Health
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
Click here to register!
Webinar Presenter
Kevin Ard, MD, MPH, Director of Sexual Health Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital
Webinar Description
This informative webinar will explore the crucial intersection of sexual health and preventative care, highlighting the latest updates on vaccinations for HPV, Mpox, and viral hepatitis. Attendees also will gain vital insights into managing and preventing meningitis and gonorrhea to support comprehensive well-being.
Webinar Learner Objectives
After completing this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Identify which patients need the Mpox, HPV, and viral hepatitis vaccines based on their sexual health history.
- Turn every routine sexual health visit into a quick, natural conversation about vaccination.
- Apply lessons from real-world case studies to answer patient questions and improve vaccine confidence.
Webinar Registration
Registration is free; pre-registration is required. Click here to register.
Click here for information about the 2026 Vaccine Education Webinar Series. Click here to access recent webinars.
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Save the Date!
2026 MIAP Conference
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The 31st Annual Massachusetts Immunization Action Partnership (MIAP) Pediatric Immunization Skills Building Conference will be held on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at the DCU Center, Worcester, MA.
The full-day pediatric conference will provide timely information on the field of pediatric immunization with an emphasis on current immunization recommendations, general immunization updates, and strategies for improving vaccination uptake. The conference is appropriate for physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical assistants, community outreach and public health workers, immunization coalition members, and office staff who work in pediatric healthcare settings, healthcare, and civic organizations.
Registration will open in August 2026. Updates will be posted as they become available.
Please contact Cynthia McReynolds (cmcreynolds@mcaap.org) with questions.
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2026 MIAP Conference Award
Nomination Deadline: September 4, 2026
Each year, the Massachusetts Immunization Action Partnership (MIAP) recognizes Massachusetts individuals or groups that have made an outstanding contribution to pediatric immunization in Massachusetts. The recipient of this award is an individual or an organization that has demonstrated leadership, initiative, innovation, collaboration, and/or advocacy. The award will be presented at the 31st Annual MIAP Pediatric Skills Building Conference on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s MIAP Conference Award. Do you know an Immunization Champion? Nominate them for this year’s award!
Click here to download a nomination form. The deadline to submit a nomination is September 4, 2026.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Cynthia McReynolds (cmcreynolds@mcaap.org).
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HPV Vaccination is 20!
Updates on the Current Vaccination Landscape: A Look Back at the Vaccination Landscape Since 2006
The approval of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2006 was the culmination of many decades of scientific discovery, collaboration, and innovation. The modern story begins in 1951 with the development of cells taken from Henrietta Lacks known as HeLa cells, which became a cornerstone of modern biomedical research and enabled advances that would later support cancer biology and vaccine development. In the 1980s, a major breakthrough occurred when Dr. Harald zur Hausen and others established that certain types of HPV cause cervical cancer. This breakthrough shifted scientific understanding and opened the door to prevention rather than just treatment.
Building on this knowledge, the 1990s brought a critical technological advance with the development of virus-like particles (VLPs). These particles mimic the outer shell of HPV but are non-infectious, allowing the immune system to recognize and fight the virus safely. This innovation formed the foundation of HPV vaccine design. Researchers across institutions refined this approach, demonstrating in laboratory and early animal studies that VLP-based vaccines could generate strong protective immune responses.
By the early 2000s, large clinical trials confirmed that HPV vaccination could prevent infection and precancerous lesions in humans. These trials provided clear “proof of concept” that a vaccine could stop cancer before it starts. These findings represented a paradigm shift in cancer prevention. On June 8, 2006, this decades-long scientific effort culminated in the U.S. FDA approval of Gardasil, the first vaccine designed to prevent HPV infections linked to cervical cancer and other diseases. This milestone marked the beginning of a new era in which cancer prevention could be achieved through HPV vaccination with profound implications for public health in the U.S. and around the world.
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A timeline of HPV vaccination provides key highlights of advances in scientific innovation and implementation activities in the U.S.
Thank you for your efforts to recommend HPV vaccination!
Reference: “Updates on the Current Vaccination Landscape: A Look Back at the Vaccination Landscape Since 2006,” originally appeared in the Path to Prevention (June 2026) newsletter of the HPV Cancer Prevention Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Reprinted with permission.
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Measles Update
As of June 11, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 2,073 confirmed cases of measles in the United States. For the entirety of 2025, a total of 2,288 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States. We will likely surpass the 2025 total in 2026. CDC updates its Measles Cases and Outbreaks website weekly. Check the website for current information.
To date, 21% of confirmed cases are in children under 5 years of age, and 51% of confirmed cases are in children aged 5 to 19 years of age. The vaccination status of these cases is 93% unvaccinated or vaccination unknown.
While Massachusetts has reported only two confirmed cases of measles this year, providers should consider measles in any patient presenting with a febrile rash illness, especially if the patient is unvaccinated for measles or has traveled internationally in the last 21 days.
Please see the Resource Spotlight section of this newsletter for measles resources.
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Tetanus Update
A recent article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), "Resurgence of Tetanus—Reasons Why the Vaccine Remains Instrumental," serves as a reminder that tetanus is a very serious disease, frequently requiring hospital admission and, in some cases, resulting in death. Even with high vaccine coverage rates for tetanus, those who are unimmunized or underimmunized remain at risk for disease.
The article reviews two recently-published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance reports (see report links in the Resource Spotlight section). The first report summarizes tetanus surveillance from 2009 to 2023 and the second report describes four (4) cases of tetanus in unimmunized children during 2024. Both reports highlight the vital role that the tetanus vaccine has in disease prevention.
The authors note that, "As pediatricians, we are particularly concerned about the declining primary immunization rates in children and the lack of vaccination with the tetanus vaccine in pregnant women to prevent infant disease."
The article concludes that vaccination with the tetanus vaccine, and "a high index of suspicion for tetanus," in patients presenting with symptoms of tetanus, are essential.
Reference: Edwards KM, Rathore MH. Resurgence of Tetanus—Reasons Why the Vaccine Remains Instrumental. JAMA. Published online June 08, 2026. doi:10.1001/jama.2026.9347.
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Resource Spotlight
Measles
Recently Published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Recent Newsletters and Updates
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Upcoming Educational Activities
and Meetings
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
2026 Vaccine Education Webinar Series
Protected & Proactive: Bridging Immunization and Sexual Health
Click here for more information and to register for the webinar.
Thursday, October 8, 2026, 4:00-6:00 PM
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Massachusetts Vaccine Program Advisory Council (MVPAC) Meeting
Click here to visit the MVPAC website.
Save the Date!
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Massachusetts Immunization Action Partnership (MIAP)
31st Annual MIAP Pediatric Immunization Skills Building Conference
Registration will open in August. Updates will be posted as they become available.
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