The recent changes to the membership of ACIP and resignation of respected scientific leaders at CDC have raised serious concerns across public health and healthcare communities. Information shared by the departing CDC leaders have raised doubts about the scientific validity of vaccine policies contemplated by the current administration. In addition, we observed the June ACIP vote against the use of thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines, a decision made without following the standard rigorous review of available data or the structured evidence-to-recommendations framework. In response, professional medical societies (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) have begun to issue vaccination guidance that differs from new CDC guidance. Vaccination providers and educators who depend on Immunize​.org resources should understand how we are approaching this unprecedented situation.  

First, Immunize​.org will continue to ensure vaccination providers know what CDC and ACIP recommend. Their recommendations directly affect VFC, Medicaid, and Medicare vaccine coverage, and could impact other insurance plan coverage. Federal recommendations may also define the permitted scope of practice for some vaccinators, including pharmacists, depending upon state regulations. We will provide context to help our readers understand when available scientific evidence does not support federal guidance.

Second, we will continue to educate vaccinators and share the best available evidence-based clinical information and guidance for vaccination. This may include adding links to the recommendations and published schedules of professional societies or other broadly accepted clinical guidance organizations. When we update resources with guidance from other credible scientific sources, we will be explicit about where that guidance came from and connect you to those sources.

Our goal is to support you to be able to make the best possible clinical practice decisions and provide the best available vaccination advice to your patients and families. To this end, our popular standing orders templates will include CDC recommendations and, when needed, refer to major professional society recommendations where there are important differences. As always, our standing orders templates should be adapted as needed to develop the standing orders you use in specific settings.

Immunize​.org is in the process of determining the best ways to reflect these differences on our website clearly and concisely. We commit to keeping you, our readers and partners, informed as we proceed. We remain committed to supporting you and members of the public with trustworthy vaccination information and resources.

Immunize​.org’s popular standing orders templates for the 2025–26 influenza season are now available. These templates help you simplify providing influenza vaccine to people in your practice age 6 months and older, whether you are using an injectable influenza vaccine or a live attenuated influenza vaccine.

• Standing Orders for Administering Influenza Vaccine to Adults
• Standing Orders for Administering Influenza Vaccine to Children and Teens

Influenza Vaccine Products for the 2025–2026 Influenza Season, Immunize​.org’s one-page reference document, is also available. For each vaccine, the manufacturer, trade name, common abbreviation, dosage form, mercury content, age range, vaccine product (CVX) code, and product billing (CPT) code are listed.



Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: Influenza web page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Standing Orders Templates main page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria

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On August 26, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) published 2025 Concise Clinical Guidance: An ACC Expert Consensus Statement on Adult Immunizations as Part of Cardiovascular Care: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. A portion of the introduction appears below.

This CCG [Concise Clinical Guidance] provides current recommendations for vaccination in patients with cardiovascular disease along with more detailed justifications for those interested in the evidence influencing these recommendations. The intended audience is clinicians managing patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We include recommendations from existing ACC/American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that are relevant, and evidence based. A Frequently Asked Questions section also provides information that can be used for patient discussions. The topic was selected by the ACC Science and Quality Committee. A summary of the recommendations is shown in Table 1.

The guidelines highlight helpful supplementary material, including patient handouts and communication approaches for cardiologists. 

• Protect Your Heart with the Vaccines You Need: an infographic to display in clinical settings, such as exam rooms or waiting rooms, to inform patients with heart disease about the vaccines they need to stay healthy
• Communication Approaches to Help Make a Strong Vaccine Recommendation: a 17-page guide with practical tips to enhance conversations with patients about the importance of adult vaccines

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Vaccinations for Adults with Heart Disease
• Immunize​.org: Vaccinations for Adults with Heart Disease (Spanish)

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FDA licenses updated COVID-19 vaccines for 2025–26 season with limited indications for people younger than age 65

On August 27, FDA licensed updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2025–26 season. The package insert indications were narrowed to include use in all people who are age 65 years and older and certain people younger than age 65 years with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19. The indicated age ranges vary by vaccine, as described below.

Package inserts and approval letters appear at the links below.

• Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA; Moderna): age 6 months through 64 years with an underlying condition and all adults age 65 years and older
• Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA; Pfizer/BioNTech):  age 5 through 64 years with an underlying condition and all adults age 65 years and older
• Mnexspike (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA; Moderna): age 12 through 64 years with an underlying condition and all adults age 65 years and older
• Nuvaxovid (COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted; Novavax): age 12 through 64 years with an underlying condition and all adults age 65 years and older

At its September 18–19 meeting, ACIP is scheduled to consider its recommendations for use of available COVID-19 vaccines.

In response to these limited indications, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) each expressed serious concerns. Portions of their press releases appear below.

IDSA Statement (8/27/25):

COVID-19 vaccines remain our best tool to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 — for healthy adults, children, pregnant patients and others at higher risk. The scientific evidence continues to strongly support broad vaccination far beyond the limited populations outlined in the Food and Drug Administration’s new label.

AAP Statement (8/27/25):

As we enter respiratory virus season, any barrier to COVID-19 vaccination creates a dangerous vulnerability for children and their families. Respiratory illnesses can be especially risky for infants and toddlers, whose airways and lungs are small and still developing. 

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: COVID-19 main page
• FDA: Vaccines Licensed for Use in the United States web page
• AAP: Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules for Ages 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2025

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Immunize​.org updates “Standing Orders for Administering Pfizer Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine (Abrysvo) During Pregnancy” to reference both preventative antibody options for infant RSV prevention

Immunize​.org updated its Standing Orders for Administering Pfizer Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine (Abrysvo) During Pregnancy, to note the options to use nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi) or clesrovimab (Enflonsia, Merck) for infant RSV protection if the mother was not effectively vaccinated during her pregnancy. 

 

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources: Standing Orders Templates main page
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) main page
• Immunize​.org: Standing Orders for Administering Clesrovimab RSV Preventive Antibody (Enflonsia, by Merck) to Infants
• Immunize​.org: Standing Orders for Administering Nirsevimab RSV Preventive Antibody (Beyfortus, by Sanofi) to Infants and High-Risk Young Children

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FDA suspends license for chikungunya vaccine live (Ixchiq, Valneva) based on safety concerns involving chikungunya-like illness

On August 22, FDA suspended the license for the live chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq (Valneva). This vaccine was initially approved by FDA in November 2023 for the prevention of disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in adults at increased risk of exposure to CHIKV. Concerns about side effects of this vaccine were first raised at the ACIP meeting in April 2025, when CDC presented details of six U.S. vaccine recipients age 65 years or older, each with other health conditions, who developed cardiac or neurologic symptoms requiring hospitalization within days of vaccination. After additional monitoring and reports of 20 similar serious illnesses in the United States and other countries, FDA suspended the license. One death from encephalitis attributed to the vaccine was reported from another country.

The viral-like particle chikungunya vaccine (Vimkunya, Bavarian Nordic), licensed in the United States in February 2025 for people age 12 years and older, continues to be recommended for use. It is not a live vaccine and is not associated with the safety concerns identified with the live-attenuated vaccine.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, from January to July 2025 around 240,000 chikungunya cases and 90 related deaths have been reported in 16 countries or territories in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Related Links

• Valneva: Valneva Announces FDA’s Decision to Suspend License of Chikungunya Vaccine IXCHIQ® in the U.S. (8/25/25)
• FDA: FDA Update on the Safety of Ixchiq (Chikungunya Vaccine, Live) web page
• CDC: Chikungunya Vaccine Information for Healthcare Providers web page
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: Chikungunya main page

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Immunize​.org updates “Meningococcal B Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor” to include both pentavalent MenABCWY vaccine options

Immunize​.org updated Meningococcal B Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor to add the second pentavalent MenABCWY vaccine (Penmenvy, GSK ) in addition to Penbraya (Pfizer).

Related Link

• Immunize​.org: Vaccines A–Z: Meningococcal B web page

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Immunize​.org updates resource “Before You Vaccinate Adults, Consider Their ‘H-A-L-O’!” 

Immunize​.org recently updated its popular resource for healthcare professionals titled Before You Vaccinate Adults, Consider Their “H-A-L-O”!

H-A-L-O refers to four factors:

• Health condition
• Age
• Lifestyle
• Occupation

Edits incorporate the age 50 threshold for adults with risk factors to receive RSV vaccine and referral to current recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine.

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Clinic Tools: Vaccine Recommendations web page
• Immunize​.org: Clinical Resources A–Z main page, where you can filter by topic, vaccine, language, or other criteria

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CDC is scheduled to convene the ACIP on September 18–19. Based on a notice in the Federal Register, the meeting will discuss and potentially vote on COVID-19, hepatitis B, MMRV, and RSV vaccines. An agenda has not yet been posted.

Written public comments and registration for oral public comments must be received between September 2–13.



No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. 

Related Links

• CDC: ACIP main page for access to webcast, agendas
• CDC: ACIP: Meeting Information for presentation slides, content from previous meetings, and information about future meetings