Mpox cases in Philadelphia peaked in July 2022, and have since decreased significantly.
Around the country, there have been sporadic mpox cases in 2023. Chicago, however, has experienced a resurgence of mpox cases between April and May 2023.
In May 2023, one mpox case was identified in Philadelphia after several months with no cases. More cases are expected to be identified in Philadelphia in the coming days and weeks.
“Since there was one reported case in May, [I suspect] that there were others that were subclinical or went undiagnosed,” says Dr. Lenore Asbel, infectious disease expert at the Division of Disease Control.
“As providers [and] the community were aware of the cases in Chicago, there [has been] a slight uptick in both providers offering and patients seeking vaccine. We are trying to be proactive as last year the increase coincided with Pride activities, travel, etc.”
Mpox Cases in Chicago
Of the mpox cases reported in Chicago, all were among men who were symptomatic, and none of these patients were hospitalized.
9 out of the 13 patients who are known to have had mpox in Chicago between April 17 and May 5 had received 2 JYNNEOS vaccine doses.
While patients who tested positive in Chicago were largely vaccinated, those who have been fully vaccinated are likely to develop milder symptoms than those who aren’t vaccinated. They are also less likely to transmit the virus to others.
There have been 20 additional mpox cases reported in Chicago since May 5. Track reported mpox cases in Chicago here.
What You Need to Know
The CDC offers communication resources for providers to educate patients about mpox vaccination. Learn about how to reduce stigma when educating patients about mpox.
Prepare your patients for the summer with resources for sexual health testing and mpox vaccination.
The Philadelphia Vaccines for Children (VFC)/ Vaccines for Adults at Risk (VFAAR) annual re-enrollment period is now open!
Sites enrolled in VFC and/or VFAAR must submit a re-enrollment form by June 30th in order to continue to participate in these programs. Follow these 3 easy steps, for a smooth re-enrollment!
1. Complete this survey Your answers will help us better support you throughout the next year. A submission is required to complete re-enrollment for your site.
2. Update Clinic Tools Update the information indicated for your site in the Clinic Tools, Clinic Information module. Use these job aids to guide you through making needed changes to the clinic tools page:
The vaccine coordinator and medical director must log into the PhilaVax IIS to access, complete and sign the electronic re-enrollment form. If you have not completed the 2023 User Confidentiality Agreement to renew your account or do not have a PhilaVax user account, use the link below to complete it now.
If you have trouble accessing the above link or you have a PhilaVax account and need to update your password, you can email PhilaVax@phila.gov for assistance.
Vaccine Temperature Monitoring: New Paper Temperature Logs Available
To ensure that the vaccine at your site is viable when administered to patients, consistent temperature monitoring is an important part of participating in the program. Our program requires sites to maintain active and passive monitoring. The passive monitoring is recorded by the Digital Date Logger (DDL) and reported to our program regularly. The active monitoring is recorded on the paper temperature logs.
The vaccine information statements (VIS) for hepatitis B and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) including Prevnar 13, Vaxneuvance, and Prevnar 20 have been updated. Access the updated documents below:
The Philadelphia Vaccines for Children (VFC)/ Vaccines for Adults at Risk (VFAAR) annual re-enrollment period will take place June 1 – 30, 2023. For the fourth year, the enrollment will be done electronically through PhilaVax.
To get your site ready for re-enrollment, complete these steps now.
1. Update Clinic Tools Review the information indicated for your site the Clinic Tools, Clinic Information module. Use these job aids to guide you though making needed updates to the clinic’s:
2. Make sure you have the access to PhilaVax you need. The vaccine coordinators and medical director must log into the PhilaVax IIS to access, complete and sign the electronic re-enrollment form. If you have not completed the 2023 User Confidentiality Agreement to renew your account or do not have a PhilaVax user account, use the link below to complete it now.
If you have a PhilaVax account and need to update your password, you can email PhilaVax@phila.gov for assistance.
Additional information and instructions will be communicated closer to the start of the re-enrollment period. Re-enrollment is a requirement for the VFC/VFAAR programs. Failure to complete the re-enrollment form will result in un-enrollment.
J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Expiration May 6, 2023
This is a reminder that all remaining doses of J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the United States will expire on May 6, 2023. All channels should prepare to clear their COVID-19 vaccine inventory of J&J/Janssen and discontinue further administration of this vaccine.
The administration of expired vaccines continues to be a significant issue based on VAERS reporting. You can help prevent these errors by ensuring J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is removed from your storage units and disposing of it according to state and local regulations.
Protecting Infants from Vaccine Preventable Diseases
National Infant Immunizations Week is April 24 to April 30 this year, serving as a reminder to protect infants in Philadelphia from vaccine preventable diseases.
Over the years, immunization providers in the United States have reached major milestones in protecting infants through vaccines. Through immunization, we can now protect infants and children from 15 vaccine-preventable diseases before age 2.
There are important updates to COVID-19 immunization recommendations for infants:
Previously unvaccinated: Children 6 months through 5 years of age who are unvaccinated may receive a two-dose series of the Moderna bivalent vaccine (6 months through 5 years of age) OR a three-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine (6 months through 4 years of age).
Previously vaccinated:Children 6 months through 4 years who previously completed their full two- or three-dose monovalent Moderna/Pfizer COVID-19 primary vaccination series are now recommended to receive a dose of Moderna/Pfizer’s updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccine.
Children 6 months through 5 years of age who have received one, two, or three doses of a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine should receive a bivalent vaccine, but the number of doses that they receive will depend on the vaccine and their vaccination history.
Healthy People 2030
Philadelphia immunization providers have made measurable progress in infant immunization coverage. However, immunization rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
In Philadelphia, vaccination coverage with 4 doses of the DTaP vaccine in children between 0 and 2 years old was around 84% in 2021.
Healthy People 2030 objective IID-06 is: Increase the coverage level of 4 doses of the DTaP vaccine in children by age 2 years. The target for this objective is 90%.
Philadelphia providers have an opportunity to increase immunization coverage for this metric to reach or exceed the target by 2030.
Local Data
In addition to increasing DTaP vaccine coverage, Philadelphia providers can improve infant immunization coverage by focusing on addressing disparities.
Local data shows that influenza vaccination coverage among infants was lowest at 55.8% among the lowest income group in the data set, as compared with 84.3% among the highest income group in the set. In addition, influenza vaccination coverage was 61.2% among Black infants and 61.9% among Hispanic infants, as compared with 73.8% among white infants.
Rotavirus coverage was 65.7% among the lowest income group, as compared with 87.1% among the highest income group. Rotavirus coverage was 70.3% among Black infants and 69.8% among Hispanic infants, as compared with 84.1% among white infants.
Preexisting social determinants of health such as economic burden, lack of transportation, and lower rate of insurance coverage contribute to these disparities. However, immunization providers can use multiple strategies to close the gaps in vaccination coverage.
Strategies to increase vaccination rates among Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities include strongly recommending flu vaccination and making culturally appropriate vaccine recommendations (e.g. using materials with images representative of those in the community, addressing community-specific concerns and misinformation, and using the predominant language spoken in the community, such as Spanish).
Providers can also work toward increasing vaccination coverage among low-income populations by using evidence-based strategies such as immunization reminders, standing orders to provide vaccination whenever appropriate, and immunization information systems. Additionally, review immunization schedules with parents at the child’s first visit to show vaccines that are upcoming.
Resources
Improving communication between providers and patients is crucial to increasing immunization coverage among infants in your office.
Download and print coloring sheets for National Infant Immunizations Week.
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.
We wanted to share some new resources with you from our team and the CDC. In addition to the digital resources linked below, we mailed out some great materials. Look for them in your mailbox this week!
Looking for the most up to date immunization news? We got you!
**Please arrive 15 minutes early. Late arrivals will not be able to attend.**
The Immunization Program is hosting a FREE Pediatric Immunization Techniques training this spring. Class participants are limited and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. A maximum of 20 participants will be accepted. Participants can only attend one training per year.
This half-day, interactive education session will focus on the basics of vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine types, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and requirements, and pediatric immunization administration techniques.
We encourage attendance by Nurses and Medical Assistants who administer vaccines or who will be administering vaccines to pediatric patients in the future. This course is beneficial to new practitioners as well as seasoned practitioners who need a refresher course or would like an update on best practices for administering vaccines.
