Website redesign!
We are pleased to share that as part of a redesign of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s website, some Vaccine Education Center (VEC) websites also have a “new look”! If you have not been on our sites lately, we hope you will take a few minutes to check these redesigned websites:
- Vaccine information (vaccine.chop.edu) — The VEC’s main website includes information about vaccines and the diseases the prevent; vaccine safety, including ingredients; vaccine science and history; the vaccine schedule; and the human immune system.
- Parents PACK website — As a reader of this newsletter, you know this is our program for the public. We are pleased to share that the redesigned Parents PACK website now includes an “Evaluating information” section where we have gathered many resources for checking information and learning how scientific knowledge evolves.
- Vaccine Update website — Our program for healthcare providers.
New book to help families navigate vaccine decisions
Dr. Paul Offit and Charlotte Moser, the Director and Co-director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, wrote a book that is being released this month. Vaccines and Your Family: Separating Fact from Fiction, second edition, is an update of a book previously written in 2011 that focused on childhood vaccines (Vaccines and Your Child). The updated version addresses vaccines across the lifespan, including vaccines not available during the previous writing, including COVID-19, mpox and RSV. In addition to covering individual vaccines, the 368-page book addresses an extensive array of vaccine safety questions as well as practical matters, such as how to talk to those who disagree about vaccines and how to make vaccinations less stressful, regardless of age.
Find out more or see where to get the book today.
Updates related to RSV vaccine use in adults
Last fall, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was approved for use in adults 60 years and older based on a concept known as “shared clinical decision making.” Shared clinical decision making involves individuals talking with their healthcare provider to determine the relative benefits and risks of vaccination based on their personal health and medical history.
The vaccine recommendations during the upcoming season (2024-2025) were updated in two ways important for adults to know. Keep reading to find out not only what the changes are, but also why they were made.
Point #1: Adults now recommended to get the vaccine include those 75 years and older and those 60 to 74 years of age considered to be high risk.
During 2023-2024, the first year of availability, the RSV vaccine could be received by all adults 60 years and older based on shared clinical decision making, but now, the recommendation has changed to include:
- All adults 75 years and older
- High-risk adults 60 to 74 years old
Why was this change made?
This change focused on two themes. First, during clinical trials of the RSV vaccine, some data suggested that Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) might occur in a very small number of vaccine recipients. In the first year after release, studies closely monitored cases of GBS. Overall, the data were reassuring that GBS occurs very rarely or not at all following RSV vaccination, but due to limited vaccine uptake, GBS could not be ruled out. Second, and related to vaccine uptake levels, shared clinical decision making was not as effective as hoped. Patients and healthcare providers found the recommendation confusing, particularly since they look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer clear guidance regarding who should get a vaccine. As a result, the committee of experts for the CDC, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended risk-based guidance this year. Since all adults 75 years of age and older are at the greatest risk for hospitalization and death from RSV, an age-based recommendation was made for those individuals. Since the risk is somewhat lower for adults 60 to 74 years old unless they have health conditions that make them more susceptible, this group is recommended to get the vaccine based on their risk status.
People considered at increased risk include those with chronic conditions of the lungs or heart, diabetes with organ damage, moderate or severe immune compromise, severe obesity (a body mass index of 40 kilograms per meter squared or higher), brain or neuromuscular conditions, advanced kidney disease, and liver or blood disorders. People between 60 and 74 years of age who live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility and those who meet the medical definition of frail are also considered to be high risk and should get the vaccine. Healthcare providers may also determine that some individuals with other chronic medical conditions are at increased risk from a respiratory infection, and they, too, can be vaccinated.
Point #2: People do not need to get annual doses of this vaccine.
Studies are ongoing to determine how long immunity lasts following receipt of the RSV vaccine. However, current data indicate that protection lasts for at least two years following vaccination. As such, if someone received an RSV vaccine last season, they do not need another dose this year. If additional information becomes available to indicate that protection is waning, additional doses may be recommended in the future, but the CDC will continue monitoring the longevity of protection so that additional doses of vaccines are not recommended unless warranted.
Website redesign!
We are pleased to share that as part of a redesign of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s website, some Vaccine Education Center (VEC) websites also have a “new look”! If you have not been on our sites lately, we hope you will take a few minutes to check these redesigned websites:
- Vaccine information (vaccine.chop.edu) — The VEC’s main website includes information about vaccines and the diseases the prevent; vaccine safety, including ingredients; vaccine science and history; the vaccine schedule; and the human immune system.
- Parents PACK website — As a reader of this newsletter, you know this is our program for the public. We are pleased to share that the redesigned Parents PACK website now includes an “Evaluating information” section where we have gathered many resources for checking information and learning how scientific knowledge evolves.
- Vaccine Update website — Our program for healthcare providers.
New book to help families navigate vaccine decisions
Dr. Paul Offit and Charlotte Moser, the Director and Co-director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, wrote a book that is being released this month. Vaccines and Your Family: Separating Fact from Fiction, second edition, is an update of a book previously written in 2011 that focused on childhood vaccines (Vaccines and Your Child). The updated version addresses vaccines across the lifespan, including vaccines not available during the previous writing, including COVID-19, mpox and RSV. In addition to covering individual vaccines, the 368-page book addresses an extensive array of vaccine safety questions as well as practical matters, such as how to talk to those who disagree about vaccines and how to make vaccinations less stressful, regardless of age.
Find out more or see where to get the book today.
Updates related to RSV vaccine use in adults
Last fall, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was approved for use in adults 60 years and older based on a concept known as “shared clinical decision making.” Shared clinical decision making involves individuals talking with their healthcare provider to determine the relative benefits and risks of vaccination based on their personal health and medical history.
The vaccine recommendations during the upcoming season (2024-2025) were updated in two ways important for adults to know. Keep reading to find out not only what the changes are, but also why they were made.
Point #1: Adults now recommended to get the vaccine include those 75 years and older and those 60 to 74 years of age considered to be high risk.
During 2023-2024, the first year of availability, the RSV vaccine could be received by all adults 60 years and older based on shared clinical decision making, but now, the recommendation has changed to include:
- All adults 75 years and older
- High-risk adults 60 to 74 years old
Why was this change made?
This change focused on two themes. First, during clinical trials of the RSV vaccine, some data suggested that Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) might occur in a very small number of vaccine recipients. In the first year after release, studies closely monitored cases of GBS. Overall, the data were reassuring that GBS occurs very rarely or not at all following RSV vaccination, but due to limited vaccine uptake, GBS could not be ruled out. Second, and related to vaccine uptake levels, shared clinical decision making was not as effective as hoped. Patients and healthcare providers found the recommendation confusing, particularly since they look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer clear guidance regarding who should get a vaccine. As a result, the committee of experts for the CDC, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended risk-based guidance this year. Since all adults 75 years of age and older are at the greatest risk for hospitalization and death from RSV, an age-based recommendation was made for those individuals. Since the risk is somewhat lower for adults 60 to 74 years old unless they have health conditions that make them more susceptible, this group is recommended to get the vaccine based on their risk status.
People considered at increased risk include those with chronic conditions of the lungs or heart, diabetes with organ damage, moderate or severe immune compromise, severe obesity (a body mass index of 40 kilograms per meter squared or higher), brain or neuromuscular conditions, advanced kidney disease, and liver or blood disorders. People between 60 and 74 years of age who live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility and those who meet the medical definition of frail are also considered to be high risk and should get the vaccine. Healthcare providers may also determine that some individuals with other chronic medical conditions are at increased risk from a respiratory infection, and they, too, can be vaccinated.
Point #2: People do not need to get annual doses of this vaccine.
Studies are ongoing to determine how long immunity lasts following receipt of the RSV vaccine. However, current data indicate that protection lasts for at least two years following vaccination. As such, if someone received an RSV vaccine last season, they do not need another dose this year. If additional information becomes available to indicate that protection is waning, additional doses may be recommended in the future, but the CDC will continue monitoring the longevity of protection so that additional doses of vaccines are not recommended unless warranted.