Registered Nurses and Influenza Vaccination

The Importance of Vaccinations

Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza With Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—United States, 2014–15 Influenza Season

Knowledge, attitude, and practices and influencing factors related to seasonal influenza vaccination among health-care workers in Qingdao, China, 2013–14: a prospective cohort study

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Annual influenza vaccine safety monitoring is an important component of the influenza vaccination program in the United States to ensure that vaccines are safe, which is important for maintaining public trust in the national vaccination program. This is specially the case for influenza vaccines since the antigen composition of the viruses of which the vaccine is made often changes from one season to the next, based on the circulating strain of influenza virus.Areas covered: This review describes the two surveillance systems used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the safety of influenza vaccines: 1) the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS); and 2) the Vaccine Safety datalink (VSD).Expert opinion: VAERS and VSD are used routinely to monitor the safety of influenza vaccines in the United States, and over the years they have demonstrated their value in monitoring vaccine safety since their implementation in 1990. Both systems, although different, complemented each other well to study febrile seizures in young children following influenza vaccination during the 2010–2011 influenza season. Other examples of potential safety concerns after influenza vaccines are also presented and discussed.

Cross-protective potential of a MF59-adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine in older adults

Clinical Practice Guidelines and Recommendations: Room for Dissent?

Universal hepatitis B vaccination in adults aged 19–59 years: Updated recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices—United States, 2022

Monkeypox: Considerations as a New Pandemic Looms

Monitoring County-Level Vaccination Coverage During the 2004–2005 Influenza Season

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with influenza vaccine uptake among healthcare personnel in Israel during three influenza seasons, 2016–2019

Objective. To conduct a systematic review of the literature on the safety of vaccines recommended for routine immunization in the United States, updating the 2014 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report on the topic. Data sources. We searched MEDLINE®, Embase®, CINAHL®, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Scopus through November 9, 2020, building on the prior 2014 report; reviewed existing reviews, trial registries, and supplemental material submitted to AHRQ; and consulted with experts. Review methods. This report addressed three Key Questions (KQs) on the safety of vaccines currently in use in the United States and included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended immunization schedules for adults (KQ1), children and adolescents (KQ2), and pregnant women (KQ3). The systematic review was supported by a Technical Expert Panel that identified key adverse events of particular concern. Two reviewers independently screened publications; data were extracted by an experienced subject matter expert. Studies of vaccines that used a comparator and reported the presence or absence of adverse events were eligible. We documented observed rates and assessed the relative risks for key adverse events. We assessed the strength of evidence (SoE) across the existing findings from the prior 2014 report and the new evidence from this update. The systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020180089). Results. A large body of evidence is available to evaluate adverse events following vaccination. Of 56,608 reviewed citations, 189 studies met inclusion criteria for this update, adding to data in the prior 2014 report, for a total of 338 included studies reported in 518 publications. Regarding vaccines recommended for adults (KQ1), we found either no new evidence of increased risk for key adverse events with varied SoE or insufficient evidence in this update, including for newer vaccines such as recombinant influenza vaccine, adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine, and recombinant adjuvanted zoster vaccine. The prior 2014 report noted a signal for anaphylaxis for hepatitis B vaccines in adults with yeast allergy and for tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccines. Regarding vaccines recommended for children and adolescents (KQ2), we found either no new evidence of increased risk for key adverse events with varied SoE or insufficient evidence, including for newer vaccines such as 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine and meningococcal B vaccine. The prior 2014 report noted signals for rare adverse events—such as anaphylaxis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and febrile seizures—with some childhood vaccines. Regarding vaccines recommended for pregnant women (KQ3), we found no evidence of increased risk for key adverse events with varied SoE among either pregnant women or their infants following administration of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccines during pregnancy. Conclusion. Across this large body of research, we found no new evidence of increased risk since the prior 2014 report for key adverse events following administration of vaccines that are routinely recommended. Signals from the prior report remain unchanged for rare adverse events, which include anaphylaxis in adults and children, and febrile seizures and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in children. There is no evidence of increased risk of adverse events for vaccines currently recommended in pregnant women. There remains insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about some rare potential adverse events.

Global guidelines strongly recommend annual influenza vaccination in people age 6 months and older, particularly in asthmatic children. There is no doubt about the benefit of influenza vaccination in asthmatic children. However, some of the vaccine's components may elicit an IgE mediated hypersensitivity or disease exacerbation, including life-threatening events, in children with allergic diseases. As a result, concerns regarding the safety of the vaccine still continue today. The influenza vaccine is grown on hens' eggs and contains a trace of egg protein. Consequently, it can provoke an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis in children with an egg allergy or exacerbation in those with asthma. Therefore, we need to know the risks and benefits of the influenza vaccine and the best strategy for safe vaccination. Although most guidelines have consistently reported the safety of influenza vaccination in children with allergic disease, and have recommended annual administration, safety concerns impede guideline-based performance in practice. The safety and efficacy of influenza vaccination for allergic children are summarized in the present review.

BackgroundVaccine hesitancy is increasing. We assessed attitudes toward influenza and COVID-19 vaccines and the relation between hesitancy to influenza vaccine and hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccines.MethodsA structured questionnaire administered during September 2020 to a representative sample of the Jewish Israeli population assessed attitudes and acceptance of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. Factors for vaccine hesitancy were determined using logistic regression. Questionnaires were administered prior to the release of clinical data regarding efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and prior to vaccine rollout.ResultsWe approached 10,625 people, of these 2,080 responded (19%), and 2,024 completed the questionnaire (97.3%), 64.9% aged 15–64 years and 35.1% aged ≥65 years. 37% had co-morbidities. 43.5% experienced financial deterioration due to the pandemic. 65.9% received influenza vaccine ≥1 time in the past. Influenza vaccination rates were higher in the elderly (81.8%). Reasons for influenza vaccine hesitancy were opinions that the vaccine is ineffective (27.1%), and fear of side effects (29.3%). 8.2% of people aged 16–64 and 13.8% of people aged≥65 refused to be vaccinated at least once over the course of one’s lifetime. Percent of responders willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine were higher than percent of responders willing to receive the influenza vaccine both in people aged 16–64 years (942 (72.3%) vs. 38.4%, respectively) and in people 65 years and older (84.0% vs. 76.8%, respectively). Hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccine was associated with hesitancy towards other vaccines. Only 26.8% would participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial.ConclusionsWillingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine was higher than willingness to receive influenza vaccine. The results point to areas of fear from influenza vaccines side effects and lack of knowledge regarding influenza vaccines effectiveness that can be addressed to increase acceptance. Hesitancy towards other vaccines was associated with hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination.

Influenza vaccination is an important prevention strategy for flu illness. However, the vaccination rate is still low in Guangzhou, China. This study aimed to understand the status of knowledge, the attitude towards the vaccines' reliability and safety, and other aspects associated with the willingness and practice of influenza vaccines in the pediatric and adult populations of Guangzhou city. This study was performed in eleven districts in Guangzhou between November 2020 and December 2020, including the Yuexiu, Liwan, Haizhu, Tianhe, Baiyun, Panyu, Huadu, Nansha, Huangpu, Zengcheng, and Conghua districts. The parents of children and teenagers under the age of eighteen in Guangzhou were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires in four domains: demographic information, the knowledge status and perception of influenza vaccination, the willingness and attitude towards influenza vaccination, and previous vaccine uptake. A multivariable logistic regression was employed to assess the possible determinants of willingness and practice to receive influenza vaccination, calculating the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI). A two-sided p-value < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. A total of 13,213 valid questionnaires were collected (validity rate 98.8%). Out of these participants, 42.62% (5631 participants) expressed a willingness to receive the influenza vaccine, while 55.40% (7320 participants) reported that their children and teenagers had been vaccinated against the flu. Furthermore, 40.44% of the respondents (5343 participants) or other family members had received the influenza vaccine. Logistic regression indicated that factors such as being female (OR = 1.395, 95% CI: 1.278-1.522), being involved in the work of COVID-19 prevention and control (1.551, 1.396-1.724), affirming the preventive effects of vaccination (2.474, 2.106-2.906), knowing about annual influenza vaccination (2.756, 2.540-2.992), and understanding prioritized influenza vaccination populations (1.464, 1.343-1.596) were all positively associated with vaccination willingness. Conversely, middle-aged persons (aged 40-49 years old) (0.726, 0.617-0.853), higher educational levels (undergraduate versus middle school) (0.858, 0.768-0.959), heightened concerns about vaccine safety (considering side effects are obvious versus considering it is safe and basically no side effects) (0.284, 0.188-0.429) and lower knowledge scores (0.813, 0.701-0.942) were adversely linked with vaccination willingness. These findings provide essential insights for altering the perception of influence and influenza vaccination, as well as enhancing health communication strategies to improve influenza vaccine uptake among Guangzhou residents.

Ten Million Calls and Counting: Progress and Promise of Tobacco Quitlines in the U.S.