Vaccine Composition: 2025-2026 Flu Season

Posted on by Kate Smith

On March 13, the FDA made recommendations to vaccine manufacturers for the virus strains to be used in influenza (flu) vaccines for the 2025-2026 U.S. flu season following a thorough and comprehensive review of U.S. and global surveillance data. With the action, the FDA does not anticipate any impact on timing or availability of vaccines for the American public. The recommendations are similar to the previous year’s strain selection. To inform the selection of the flu virus strains, the FDA convened a meeting of scientific and public health experts from the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department Read More …

Measles and Vitamin A

Posted on by Kate Smith

From Your Local Epidemiologist: The WHO recommends vitamin A for people who contract measles because: Studies have shown that: However, only 0.3% of the US population has a vitamin A deficiency. Similar studies from other high-income countries with low levels of vitamin A deficiency suggest that the vitamin doesn’t make that much difference on measles. There is some data to suggest that vitamin A levels may drop during a measles infection, and when administered in cotrolled doses under the supervision of a doctor, it is a low risk intervention. But it’s unclear how much it actually helps. TL;DR: You can Read More …

Measles Update 2025

Posted on by Kate Smith

Check out this video from CHOP, created in 2022: Measles: Symptoms, Spread, & SSPE CDC.gov Measles Update Updated: March 5, 2025 Texas The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting an outbreak of measles in the South Plains region of Texas. At this time, 159 cases have been identified since late January. Twenty of the patients have been hospitalized. There has been one fatality in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated. Counties affected: Dallam (4), Dawson (9), Ector (2), Gaines (107), Lubbock (3), Lynn (2), Martin (3), Terry (22), Yoakum (7). Vaccine Read More …

WHO Recommendations for Influenza Vaccine Composition for 2025-2026

Posted on by Kate Smith

February 28, 2025 The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2025–2026 influenza season in the northern hemisphere. The announcement was made at an information session at the end of a 4-day meeting on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines, a meeting that is held twice annually.  The WHO recommends that trivalent vaccines for use in the 2025–2026 northern hemisphere influenza season contain the following:  Egg-based vaccines Cell culture-, recombinant protein- or nucleic acid-based vaccines The recommendation for the B/Yamagata lineage component of quadrivalent influenza vaccines remains unchanged from previous recommendations: Read more

AMA Update Videos

Posted on by Kate Smith

The American Medical Association is giving communicable disease update videos in lieu of national updates. View them here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AmerMedicalAssn Tuberculosis in Kansas, Ebola Virus Update, and H5N9 Bird Flu: https://youtu.be/HlPBmT_R0po

Data is Slowly Returning

Posted on by Kate Smith

February 10, 2025 Data and communications from the Department of Health and Human Services are slowly coming back on line after a 3-week pause. And we’ve seen some alarming things: Also, let’s not forget that it’s respiratory virus season, and there is an avian influenza outbreak.

CDC Vaccine Information Down

Posted on by Kate Smith

Monday, February 3, 2025 Over the weekend, the CDC.gov website with ACIP-approved Vaccine Schedules and Vaccine Information Schedules was taken offline, to modify them to align with the orders of the Trump administration. Some of that information can be found on our website: https://immunizedelaware.org/vaccine-information/.