Senior Biden administration officials met with the makers of RSV immunizations for children this week to underscore the need for manufacturers such as Sanofi and AstraZeneca to urgently meet demand as winter approaches, the White House said on Tuesday.

At a meeting at the White House on Monday, officials and manufacturers also agreed to plan now to meet next year’s demand for the immunizations targeting respiratory syncytial virus, which generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can develop into severe illness in infants and older adults.

“Monday’s meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings to seek ways manufacturers can make more RSV immunizations available for infants,” the White House said in a statement.

Read more at U.S. News.

Getting vaccinated is safer than getting sick. But if you’re traveling abroad, older than 65 or plan to get vaccinated for influenza (flu) and COVID-19, the number of vaccinations you need can feel overwhelming. 

What if you could get multiple vaccines in one visit — the old one-and-done approach? It’d be more convenient, but is it safe? 

Primary care specialist Daniel Sullivan, MD, answers that question and explains what you need to know about getting more than one vaccine at a time. 

Read more at Cleveland Clinic.

Only about 17% of nursing home residents and 2% of staff are up to date on their COVID-19 shots as cases rise across the country and health officials prepare for another seasonal tripledemic of respiratory diseases.

The big picture: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures show takeup of the updated vaccine is lagging in the high-risk setting and could reflect the troubled rollout of updated shots that slowed distribution to long-term care facilities.

• The Biden administration also lifted a vaccine mandate for health workers and other requirements with the end of the public health emergency.
• That’s left some of the most vulnerable Americans unprotected against the most common strains of the virus in circulation.

Read more at Axios.

The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, according to U.S. health officials.

Colorado school vaccination rates, notoriously low among states, have also been trending down.

“The bad news is that it’s gone down since the pandemic and still hasn’t rebounded,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, a University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist. “The good news is that the vast majority of parents are still vaccinating their kids according to the recommended schedule.”

More parents are questioning routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect of the political schism that emerged during the pandemic around COVID-19 vaccines, experts say.

Read more at Sentinel Colorado.

Nobody expected polio to be back.

It’s 2040, a decade since the disease was eradicated. The global health campaign that vanquished the virus has disbanded; immunization efforts have slackened. Then, one day, a sick child in a conflict-wracked country develops paralysis; the cause turns out to be polio. Scientists trace the origin of the virus to a laboratory on the other side of the world. A technician at the lab had handled a forgotten batch of polio-infected material — and then visited their family abroad.

As cases multiply, the World Health Organization (WHO) appeals for help to conduct emergency immunization campaigns, but stocks of vaccines are low and few members of staff have direct experience of polio outbreaks. Soon there are tens of thousands of cases: millions more people around the world who haven’t had the vaccine are at risk.

Read more at Nature.

For immune health, some influencers seem to think the Goldilocks philosophy of “just right” is overrated. Why settle for less immunity when you can have more? Many social media posts push supplements and other life hacks that “boost your immune system” to keep you healthy and fend off illness.

However, these claims are not based on science and what is known about immune function. Healthy immune systems don’t need to be “boosted.” Instead, the immune system works best when it is perfectly balanced. Scientific experts on the immune system – immunologists – know that too much of an immune reaction could result in allergies, autoimmune disorders or chronic inflammation. On the flip side, too little of an immune reaction could result in illness or infection.

Your immune system requires a delicate balance to operate properly. When it’s out of balance, your immune system itself can cause disease.

Read more at The Conversation.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who was awarded an Honorary FAAP designation by the AAP for her work to strengthen childhood immunization rates, died Nov. 19 at age 96.

Mrs. Carter spent her life as a leading advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood vaccinations, human rights and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center in Atlanta, a nonprofit she founded in 1982 with her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.

“We mourn the loss and celebrate the life and many contributions of first lady Rosalynn Carter, whose work to promote vaccinations and mental health care improved the health, safety and well-being of all children,” said AAP President Sandy L. Chung, M.D., FAAP. “Her work in these areas began before she arrived at the White House and continued through the rest of her life. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with her on these issues and her lifelong commitment to children’s health.”

Read more at AAP News.

Global cases of measles increased by 18% from 2021 to 2022, following a drop in vaccinations over the past few years, according to a new report Thursday from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deaths due to measles have also increased globally by 43% from 2021 to 2022, the new data shows.

“The alarming increase in measles cases and deaths globally is a clear warning sign,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an ABC News medical contributor and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The drop in vaccination rates over recent years has set the stage for this resurgence, particularly impacting children who are most vulnerable.”

Read more at ABC.

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is widely available in many pharmacies and doctor’s offices across the country, making now a good time to book your shot if you haven’t already.

You’ve probably heard that the vaccine comes with a risk of side effects. While doctors stress that these are potential side effects and that there’s no guaranteed way to avoid symptoms like fatigue or chills after your shot, it makes sense to want to be prepared for them just in case.¹ With that in mind, doctors recommend taking these steps after receiving your COVID-19 vaccine to try to help yourself feel comfortable and to enhance your body’s response to the vaccine.

Read more at Verywell Health.

Covid and flu shots can be safely given at the same time, and according to a small new study, doing so may even confer benefits.

Findings presented Monday at the Vaccines Summit Boston, an annual scientific conference, suggest that giving Covid and flu shots together could produce a stronger antibody response against the coronavirus than administering the vaccines separately.

The study measured the antibody levels of 42 health care workers in Massachusetts who were vaccinated last fall. Twelve of the participants received a bivalent Covid booster and seasonal influenza shot on the same day. Another 30 received the shots on different days within the span of a month. 

Read more at NBC.