Immunization Update

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Immunization Update - May 2026

2026 DPH Immunization Updates Webinars

All sessions will be held on Wednesdays, from noon – 1:00 p.m., except where noted.

Live Q&A with DPH staff at the end of each session.

Upcoming Immunization Updates Webinars

May 27: MIIS - Massachusetts Immunization Information System

Improve data quality, including bidirectional data exchange, and learn providers’ legal responsibility for reporting to the immunization registry.

June 3: Vaccine Program Compliance: Storage and Handling

Requirements and recommendations for proper storage and handling of vaccines, latest federal and state Vaccine Program requirements.

June 10: Immunization 101

Basic principles of vaccination, precautions, and contraindications, avoiding preventable administration errors, adverse event reporting and VAERS, proper documentation, resources.

June 17: Immunization Schedule Updates (note times)

Updates to the Childhood Immunization Schedule: 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Changes to the 2026 Child and Adolescent Schedule, where to find recommended guidance for routine immunization

Updates to the Adult Immunization Schedule: 12:20 p.m.-1:05 p.m.

Changes to the 2026 Adult Immunization Schedule, where to find recommended guidance for routine immunization

Learn More About the Immunization Updates

Immunization Updates Webinars Held to Date

(Once available, the webinar recordings will be posted here.)

May 6: Epidemiology of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) in Massachusetts

Summary of VPDs, discussion of control measures

May 20: Practical Strategies for Building Vaccine Confidence

Apply new vaccine knowledge, skills, and strategies to increase vaccine confidence.

ARISe Center for Rural Vaccination

at UMass Chan Medical School

Seeking participants who work in rural health and vaccination for a 30-45 minute interview

The Prevention Research Center at UMass Chan Medical School has been awarded funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish the Advancing Research in Immunization Services (ARISe) Center for Rural Vaccination at UMass Chan as a Collaborating Center of CDC’s ARISe Network.

The ARISe Center is conducting research to explore drivers of vaccine perceptions in rural communities and how to develop and implement effective evidence-based communication approaches for vaccine promotion. They are currently seeking participants who work in rural health and vaccination to complete an interview in preparation for launching a pilot messaging program targeting rural communities across the region. They are offering a $50 gift card to complete a 30-45 minute interview.

If you would be interested in participating in an interview or learning more about the Center and partnering on upcoming rural vaccine efforts, please fill out their interest form here: https://bit.ly/ariseumass. You also can contact the Center Director, Grace Ryan at grace.ryan1@umassmed.edu.

School/Camp Immunization Update

DPH 2025-2026 School Immunization Survey Data

The annual Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Child Care/Preschool, Kindergarten, Grade 7, Grade 12, and College Immunization Surveys have been completed for the 2025-2026 school year. The survey data are posted here.

School immunization rates provide insight into vaccine coverage in Massachusetts counties and communities. Since immunization rates are not uniform across the state, school immunization data highlight areas that may be more susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. You can check your community's school immunization rates by visiting DPH's school immunization webpage.

Required Immunization for Children Attending Camp and Camp Staff

Required Immunizations for Children Attending Camp and Camp Staff can be found here. The requirements are available in Brazilian Portuguese, English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.

2026-2026 Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements

2026-2027 Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements can be found here. The requirements are available in Brazilian Portuguese, English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.

2026 FIFA World Cup

From June 13 through July 9, 2026, seven scheduled World Cup matches will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The stadium has been renamed “Boston Stadium,” for the duration of the tournament. In addition to matches at Boston Stadium, Boston City Hall Plaza will also host an official FIFA Fan Festival, including live match broadcasts, interactive games and activities, and food and beverages from local vendors.

Official state and tourism estimates project that between 450,000 and 2 million visitors will travel to the Greater Boston area during this time. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is partnering with municipalities and local boards of health to ensure that everyone remains safe. Public health planning and preparedness activities include:

Planning and coordination
Health system readiness
Disease surveillance and outbreak response
Environmental risk readiness and response plan
Contingency planning
Public information and communications

Massachusetts World Cup updates can be found at "Massachusetts is Match-Ready for the World Cup." Public health information and updates can be found here.

Vaccine Program Adult Vaccine Availability
Updated April 2026

The 2026 Adult Availability Table has been updated to further expand the use of state-supplied vaccines for enrolled public provider sites seeing uninsured and underinsured adult patients.

Effective immediately, public provider sites will be able to order/administer state-supplied PCV21 vaccine to uninsured and underinsured adults (19+ years) seen at their practice. The 2026 Adult Availability Table has been updated to reflect these changes. As a reminder, public provider sites also can administer state-supplied HPV, Men-B, PCV20, RSV, and Zoster to uninsured and underinsured adults (19+ years), as of April 1, 2026.

There has been no change in state-supplied vaccine availability for private provider sites, as private providers are still not allowed to administer state-supplied vaccine to adult patients.

Resource Spotlight

Measles

Angela Weil, M.S.N., Anna Jones, M.D., Kelly Mansfield, Ph.D., Andrew T. Pavia, M.D., Angie White, M.S., and Leisha D. Nolen, M.D., Ph.D. Intramuscular Immunoglobulin for Measles Postexposure Prophylaxis. NEJM Evid. May 13, 2026. DOI: 10.1056/EVIDpha2600093.
CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks website
DPH Measles website. Measles fact sheets can be found here and are available in Chinese (simplified), English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Recently Published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)