VFC

Get Your Patients Up to Date With Polio Vaccine

Cases of polio, or poliomyelitis, have recently increased. There is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented with safe and effective vaccination. The CDC urges providers to offer polio vaccine to everyone who is not fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

Pediatric Guidance (2 months through 18 years of age)CDC recommends that children get four doses of polio vaccine. Children should get one dose at each of the following ages:

2 months old
4 months old
6 through 18 months old
4 through 6 years old

Children who have not started their polio vaccine series or who are delayed in getting all recommended doses should start as soon as possible or finish their series by following the recommended catch-up schedule. View the Polio catch-up guidance for children 4 months through 17 years of age here.Adult Guidance (19 years of age and older)

Most adults in the United States were vaccinated as children. However, adults who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or are fully vaccinated but are at higher risk for contact with poliovirus should receive polio vaccination. Adults who are at increased risk of contact with poliovirus and who have previously completed the polio vaccination series (IPV or OPV) can receive one lifetime booster dose of IPV. Learn more about which unvaccinated adults could be at higher risk, such as international travelers, laboratory workers, and healthcare professionals.

CDC Continuing Education – Available Tuesday, 9/6

For more information about polio, treatment, and vaccination, the CDC’s continuing education Pink Book course is coming up on September 6. This is an on-demand video with no registration required.

VFC & VFAAR Flu is Now Available to Order!

Flu vaccine is now available to order for your VFC and VFAAR eligible patients. Visit our flu page for instructions on how to place your first order and which products are available to order now.Please note, all flu vaccine from the 2021-2022 season must be accounted for before you can order flu for the 2022-2023 season.

Account for any unused 2021-22 VFC/VFAAR flu vaccine still at your site using PhilaVax:
- Process a return for the unopened vials online in the Vaccines Returns module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
- Complete an adjustment for any open MDVs in the Inventory Module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.

We will send out additional emails and update the flu page as more presentations of flu become available.

Have questions?

Contact Christine Wilson at christine.wilson@phila.gov, or Charma Miller at charma.miller@phila.gov, or Angelica Echevarria at angelica.echevarria@phila.gov for assistance.

VFC & VFAAR Flu Ordering Will Open 8/29/22

VFC & VFAAR providers can order flu for the 2022-23 season starting Monday, 8/29/22.

Make sure your site is ready!

Account for any unused 2021-22 VFC/VFAAR flu vaccine still at your site using PhilaVax:
- Process a return for the unopened vials online in the Vaccines Returns module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
- Complete an adjustment for any open MDVs in the Inventory Module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
- Complete these steps today to avoid delays in processing your site’s 2022-23 flu season orders. If you have questions, contact DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov.
Order flu materials for your office. Get the conversation started about the importance of flu vaccination with these free posters.
Make sure that your EHR/EMR is set-up to report this year’s flu products. These are the vaccine available this year.

Visit our Flu Page on our website for more information on what vaccines are available and to gain access to flu resources and free print materials.

Menactra No Longer Available Through VFC or VFAAR

Menactra can no longer be ordered through VFC or VFAAR. The inventory of Menactra at the CDC depots has been depleted.

Sites that were using Menactra, need to transition to one of the other MCV4 products available, Menveo from GSK or MenQuadfi from Sanofi, if they have not already.

If your site ordered Menactra, and you have not already, please take a few minutes to complete this survey to let us know which MCV4 vaccine you plan to order going forward.

Complete the Survey

Return Expired Doses of Flu Today!

All VFC/VFAAR influenza vaccine supplied by the Philadelphia Immunization Program during the 2021-2022 flu season has expired. Please account for unused VFC/VFAAR flu vaccine at your site using PhilaVax:

Process a return for the unopened vials online in the Vaccines Returns module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
Email DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov to account for open vials of flu vaccine.

Return your vaccine before August 15th

Please complete these steps by August 15, 2022, to avoid delays in processing your site’s 2022-23 flu season orders. If you have questions, contact DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov.

Don’t delay, return your expired vaccine now!

It is difficult to anticipate exactly when flu vaccine will be available. However, the health department is committed to getting flu vaccine to our providers as soon as it arrives. To prevent delays, please complete your flu return today.All communication about the availability of flu vaccine will be made via email and posted on our website. Keep an eye out for upcoming messages! If you need to add more people to our mailing list, please contact us at vaccines@phila.gov.Thank you for helping to protect Philadelphians this past year! We look forward to working together to keep people safe from the flu next season.

Be Ready!: Update Your Vaccine Management Plan Today!

Update Your Vaccine Management Plan Today!

Summer means storm season, and to help you be prepared, we’ve created a new Vaccine Management Plan.

It has all the information you need to:

Store your vaccine safely.
Respond to an emergency.
Transport your vaccine during an emergency.

Don’t wait until the storm, comes take action today:

Review the document with all the staff that works with VFC, VFAAR, or COVID vaccine at your site.
Gather the supplies indicated on pages 14-17 of the document.
Fill out the information on the first page of the document.
- Fax (215-238-6948) or email (TempCheck@phila.gov) a copy to our office by Friday, August 12th.
Post the full document on your vaccine storage unit.
- You can print a copy today or keep an eye out for a copy in the mail this week!

Make sure your site’s backup storage locations are appropriate for vaccine storage:

Approved
- Doctor’s offices freezer compartment of combination units
- Hospital Pharmacies
- Pharmacies
- Approved Unit at Another Clinic
Not Approved
- Personal Home Freezers
- Personal Deep Freezers
- Freezer Compartment of a Combination Unit
- Storage Containers with Dry Ice

Be ready to move vaccine in an emergency. Gather the supplies needed to transport your refrigerated and frozen vaccine today!

Have questions? Reach out to our team at TempCheck@phila.gov for assistance.

National Infant Immunization Week

National Infant Immunization Week
April 24 – 30, 2022

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is a yearly observance highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This year, in particular, it’s critical to ensure that families stay on track for children’s routine checkups and recommended vaccinations following disruptions from COVID-19.

Research has consistently shown that healthcare professionals are the most trusted and influential source of vaccine information for parents. All staff in healthcare practices, including non-clinical staff, play important roles during NIIW.

To highlight childhood immunizations this NIIW:

Build a culture of immunization in your organization by fostering a culture of immunization.
Learn simple tips for talking with parents about childhood vaccines.
Provide educational materials for parents.

Additional resources are available from the CDC:

Parent friendly schedule: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
Childhood Immunization Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/partners/childhood/index.html

Adolescent Immunization Action Week

Adolescent Immunization Action Week gears up to get adolescents up to date on immunizations.

April 4 to April 8 is the first annual National Adolescent Immunization Action Week. Unity® Consortium launched this initiative to bring attention to the importance of adolescent immunization and to urge health care providers and parents to get adolescents up to date on recommended vaccines.

Research has consistently shown that healthcare professionals are the most trusted and influential source of vaccine information for parents.

Visit Unity’s AIAW campaign page for social media-ready materials and graphics you can use to communicate and draw attention to the importance of taking action now to improve adolescent immunization coverage.

Here are ideas to remind, recall, and schedule immunizations:

Use electronic health records to identify patients with missed immunizations and contact them to schedule appointments. Use this guide to generate a recall report in PhilaVax.
Communicate with families about missed well visits and staying up to date on vaccines.
Make vaccination scheduling convenient for parents, e.g. offer vaccination clinics during school vacations/spring break.
Check vaccination status during all adolescent visits to avoid missed opportunities.
Make confident, presumptive vaccine recommendations, and share credible sources on vaccine safety and efficacy.
Share the #AIAW22 call to action with local organizations (health departments, schools), so they too can spread the word
Educate parents and patients about vaccine. Use these resources from Immunize.org to provide reliable information to your patients and their families:
- https://www.immunize.org/handouts/adolescent-vaccination.asp
- https://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf

Together we can help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent immunization rates and help to prevent future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Recommend HPV Vaccine at Every Visit!

Recommend HPV Vaccine at Every Visit!

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in HPV doses administered in the United States.

Here in Philadelphia, there was a 29% decrease in the total number of HPV doses administered in 2020 compared to 2019. This decrease affected every eligible age group:

9-13 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 17.5% from 2019 to 2020.
13-17 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 41.7% from 2019 to 2020.
18-26 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 53.7% from 2019 to 2020.

March 4 is International HPV Awareness Day!

To help bring HPV vaccination rates back to pre-pandemic levels, recommend HPV vaccine at every visit for 9-26 year olds who have not begun or completed their series.

Register for this CME webinar on March 2 from 1-2pm EST! Dr. Danielle Casher (Attending Physician, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) will join cancer survivor Megan Lesar to discuss improving HPV vaccine rates in Pennsylvania.

On March 4, watch and share this video from the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) to promote timely, complete HPV vaccination.

Steps to Recommend HPV Vaccine to Hesitant Parents

Announce:

Your child is __ years old.
Today, they are eligible to receive Tdap, HPV, and MCV vaccine.
We will make sure they get all these shots to keep them safe and healthy.

If parent hesitates:

Connect and Counsel:

What’s your main concern?
Counsel using a research-tested method (ex.”Over 30,000 Americans get cancer from HPV every year. Most could be prevented with the HPV vaccine.”)

If parent declines:

Try Again:

Almost 70% of parents who initially declined later agree to HPV vaccine or plan to vaccinate soon.

Resources

Print:

Flyers and posters (CDC) promoting HPV vaccine for pre-teens and teens.
Postcards and posters (PDPH) promoting pediatric vaccines and HPV vaccine for pre-teens and teens.

Online:

For parents: reasons to get HPV vaccine; HPV vaccine safety.

Have questions? Reach out to our team at vaccines@phila.gov. Thank you for all that you do to keep Philadelphia safe and healthy!

Storage Unit Reminder

Vaccines can only be stored in certain acceptable storage units. Your vaccine storage unit is a key component in maintaining the vaccine cold chain at your practice.

Your vaccine storage units must:

Consistently maintain storage temperature.
Have enough space to properly store vaccines throughout the year including back to school and flu season.
Have separate external doors for refrigerator and freezer.
Have Do Not Unplug stickers at the outlet, on unit, and on the circuit breaker.
Order Do Not Unplug stickers here.

All units must be plugged directly into a dedicated wall outlet. Units cannot be plugged into:

GFI/GFCI outlets (specialized outlets with a built-in breaker, may have reset buttons)
Outlets that can be activated by a wall switch
Extension cords, power strips, surge protectors
Ensure that the unit, plug, and circuit breaker on the electric panel are clearly labeled to prevent accidental loss of power.

Selecting a unit to store your vaccines in is an important decision.

Purchasing a unit that is reliable and accurate up-front is a worthwhile investment, both in time and money, for your practice. The time needed to respond to out of range temperatures and the cost of reimbursement for wasted vaccines can be very burdensome for practices whose unit does not maintain in-range temperatures.

To ensure that the unit that you are considering is the best option for your clinic, email our program at TempCheck@phila.gov so that we can offer insight on the units that are being considered based on other providers experiences with a brand, the typical supply on hand at your practice, and other considerations based on the CDC recommendations for storage units.