Notices

Join Us for a PCP Measles Update

Join Division of Disease Control (DDC) infectious disease experts Dr. Shara Epstein and Dr. Mayssa Abuali for a virtual measles update for primary care providers (PCPs). In a recent advisory, we encouraged pediatric providers to catch up patients on their MMR vaccination.

This informative session is for PCPs who would like to learn more about recent measles cases from physicians working in outbreak response with the Department of Public Health.

Meeting details:

Date: Friday, January 12, 2024

Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

RSVP for the meeting

Action Required: PhilaVax User Account Renewal

Dear PhilaVax Users,

PDPH’s Immunization Program is currently undergoing our annual PhilaVax user account renewal.

All users must complete the user agreement for the 2024 calendar year for continued access to PhilaVax.

All agreements must be completed by February 7th, 2024. Users without an updated agreement by this date will be unable to log into PhilaVax, and their accounts will be rendered inactive until the agreement is completed.

Find the form using the button below:

PhilaVax User Agreement Form

Catch Up Pediatric Patients: MMR Vaccine

Catch Up Pediatric Patients: MMR Vaccine

There is a measles cluster in Philadelphia that started with an infant and spread to unvaccinated individuals. It has resulted in now 7 confirmed cases of measles among Philadelphia residents and an index case in Delaware county.

To prevent further spread, review your pediatric patients’ records for MMR vaccine and recall any patients who are not up to date. Consider nurse-only visits to get patients in faster.

Measles is highly infectious and can be especially dangerous to children under 5, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals. CDC recommends children get their first MMR dose at 12-15 months and the second dose at 4-6 years.

You can order a free measles flyer below.

Order a measles flyer!

New Beyond Use Date (BUD) Labels to Order

New Beyond Use Date (BUD) Labels to Order

New Beyond Use Date (BUD) labels are available for order. BUD labels can support your practice in ensuring vaccine is not used past expiration. These labels replace previous BUD labels intended for use with COVID-19 vaccine, and can be used for any adult or pediatric vaccine. Below is a preview:

These BUD labels are available to order for free below. Also, view and print the instruction sheet below for support in correctly using these new labels. If you have any questions, contact TempCheck@phila.gov.

Order BUD labels

Print BUD label instructions

Vaccine Product Available Through VFC: Abrysvo

Vaccine Product Available Through VFC: Abrysvo

Abrysvo is a maternal RSV vaccine available through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.

RSV is surging and the pediatric infant immunization Beyfortus supply is severely limited. Abrysvo will play an important role in protecting infants against severe RSV disease this season. Most infants born to mothers who have received Abrysvo will not need to receive Beyfortus.

Please note that the availability of Abrysvo for VFC providers is limited. Only sites that care for pregnant people under 19 can order, and orders will be limited to 5 doses per site at a time.

Abrysvo

Abrysvo is a Pfizer product now available through the Vaccines Children (VFC) program.

CVX code: 305
CPT code: 90678
NDC number: 00069-0344-01

V-safe, one of several systems CDC uses to closely monitor the safety of vaccines, will be used as a health check for pregnant people who receive a maternal RSV vaccine.

For more information, review the package insert.

Additional resources:

FDA page
VIS

If you have any questions, please email vaccines@phila.gov.

New Immigrant and Refugee Pediatric Vaccination

This blog post was written alongside Dr. Mayssa Abuali, who has served the Philadelphia pediatric community for the past 10 years.

At the first domestic health visit with new immigrant or refugee pediatric patients, clinicians should review all available vaccine records, perform any testing, and update or revaccinate, as appropriate. Vaccine doses administered outside the United States should be accepted as valid, if schedules and doses are compatible with the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations. If there’s no proof of receiving the required vaccines, it must be given during the medical exam.

Catch-up vaccines:

Work closely with Philadelphia School District nurses to catch up a student’s vaccines. This ensures timely school enrollment and protection of other students from vaccine preventable diseases.
Pay careful attention to intervals between vaccines as well as minimum required ages, and not only the number of doses previously received.
Attach any relevant serology to the child’s health assessment form or vaccine records. For example, include varicella and hepatitis A IgG titers and indicate if the child is immune by serology or natural disease.

Polio vaccination: In April 2016, the oral polio vaccine (OPV) was changed from a trivalent to a bivalent formulation to decrease the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic disease. Any oral polio vaccine given after April 2016 is invalid in the United States and will not count towards the child’s required polio series. Inactivated polio injectable vaccine (IPV) doses are needed to replace invalid OPV doses.

Transcribing vaccines: Many countries place the day before the month (i.e. day/month/year). Train your team to remember such date formats when transcribing international vaccine records into EMR.

Schedule follow-ups: Provide a scheduled follow-up visit for the vaccine before the patient leaves the clinic and indicate “catch-up vaccination initiated; follow-up scheduled on _” on the child health assessment form.

New Refrigerated Pfizer 12+ COVID-19 Vaccine

A new presentation of Comirnity (Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12+ year olds) (NDC 00069-2377-10) is now available to order.

The new presentation:

is a carton of 10 prefilled syringes.
is a refrigerated formulation that must be stored between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F). Do not store at ultra-cold or standard freezer temperatures.
can be used through the expiration date printed on the carton and syringe labels.

The old presentation of Comirnity (Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12+ year olds) (NDC 00069-2362-10) is no longer available to order through the VFC and Bridge programs.

Before ordering or administering the new product, ensure that Comirnity (Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12+ year olds) (NDC 00069-2377-10) has been added to your electronic medical record (EMR) so that administered doses are reported to the PhilaVax IIS.

See below for a picture of the new vaccine presentation. The carton includes a bright pink stripe with the words “DO NOT FREEZE.”

Continue to use any doses of the old Pfizer 12+ vaccine (NDC 00069-2362-10) on hand until it is consumed, expired, or has been stored at 2°C to 8°C for longer than the allowable 10 weeks.

Your site may have both presentations on hand for a period of time. If this occurs, please ensure that doses are clearly labeled and stored appropriately to prevent potential errors.

New Meningococcal Vaccine for Pediatric Patients

This blog post is part of a series highlighting essential changes in the 2024 ACIP immunization schedules.

This series is written alongside Immunization Program Medical Specialist, Dr. Mayssa Abuali.

Dr. Abuali is board-certified in general pediatrics, pediatric infectious diseases, and pediatric hospital medicine. Dr. Abuali has served the Philadelphia pediatric community for the past 10 years. She served as the Director of the Einstein Pediatric Inpatient Service at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and as the Director of the Einstein Pediatric New Arrivals clinic.

A new meningococcal vaccine has been added to the 2024 childhood immunization schedule.

Penbraya contains five meningococcal serogroups (Groups A, B, C, W, and Y) and is approved for ages 10 years and up.

Currently, children must receive vaccination against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y (MenACWY, Menveo, or MenQuadfi) at age 11 or 12 years with a booster at 16 years. Separate meningococcal B vaccines (MenB, Bexsero, or Trumenba) can be given to 16 – 23-year-olds before entering college, joining the military, or during outbreak situations.

Penbraya is an option for certain children and adolescents who need MenB and MenACWY vaccines at the same visit. This group may include:

Adolescents aged 16-23 years due for their MenACWY booster and in need of MenB before entering college or other crowded living situations at the same visit.
High-risk children aged 10 years and older with complement deficiency, functional or anatomic asplenia (including sickle cell disease), or receiving complement inhibitors.

Second doses:

A second dose of Penbraya should be given 6 months after the first dose for those needing both MenB and MenACWY protection.
If only MenB is needed, then Trumenba must be used for the second dose in 6 months as that is the MenB component present in Penbraya. Bexsero and Trumenba are not interchangeable.

Travel: Those traveling to the sub-Saharan Africa meningitis belt or for Hajj (Saudi Arabia) require MenACWY vaccination. MenB is currently not recommended for travel.

The current meningococcal vaccines are both safe and effective. According to pediatric infectious disease expert, Dr. Mayssa Abuali, “Protection does wane with time, so boosters are necessary in cases of continued risk.”

We will inform providers when this product is available to order through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. Learn more about meningococcal vaccines.

Vaccine Storage Update and Reminders

LogTag Update!

LogTag Version 2 will soon be replaced with LogTag Version 3. We will ask all providers to switch to Version 3 in January 2024. Look out for the link to the new software and guidance for updating your system.

Reminders

Start the new year right by checking your storage and handling procedures! Use the checklist below to make sure your team is properly managing vaccines.

Does your team…

Send in temperature data every 28 days and immediately if the DDL alarms?
Send in your temperature data on the same day the order is placed for every order?
Always both email your temperature data and upload to PhilaVax (for sites with PDPH’s DDLs)?
Update your paper temperature logs twice a day?
- In the morning with the current temperature, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature
- End of day with the current temperature
Make sure you are using the most updated Paper Temperature Logs?
Have a current Vaccine Management Plan attached to your fridge or freezer that has been updated within the last 12 months?
Have a plan in place and all necessary materials to move vaccine in an emergency (see the Vaccine Management Plan)?
Replace the DDL’s batteries when low?
- Please check your DDL for a low battery signal (see image below) and reach out to TempCheck@phila.gov if a battery is needed!

Please check out our website and reach out at TempCheck@phila.gov with any questions.

Thank you for being a trusted vaccine provider!

Mpox Vaccine: Holiday Delivery Pause

Mpox vaccine deliveries will be paused for the holiday from December 25 to 29.

Please remember to submit an order request by Monday, December 18 at 5 pm for your order to be approved the week of December 18. The last mpox delivery will be on Tuesday, December 19.

Remember to submit your temperatures to tempcheck@phila.gov and complete a reconciliation of vaccine on hand for your order to be approved.

Click the button below to submit your order for mpox vaccine.

Deliveries for mpox vaccine will resume the week of January 2, 2024! If you have any questions, please contact Marguerite Horton at marguerite.horton@phila.gov.

Order Mpox Vaccine