Network News — October 16, 2025

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

Resources

In the News

Announcements

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Register now! Virtual: The National Network for Immunization Coalitions will host a webinar, “Social Media Strategies: Digital Advertising and Using Social Media for Rapid Response,” on November 14 at 1:00 pm (ET).

The National Network for Immunization Coalitions will host a webinar titled Social Media Strategies: Digital Advertising and Using Social Media for Rapid Response at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on November 14. This webinar will explore strategies for using social media effectively, with a focus on digital advertising, behavioral marketing, and rapid response communications. Speakers will share practical approaches for developing targeted ad campaigns, leveraging data to maximize reach and engagement, and adapting quickly to emerging events or misinformation. Participants will gain insights and tools to strengthen their organization’s social media presence and ensure their messages are heard when it matters most.

Register for the webinar.

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Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions highlights Vaccinate Your Family

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) is a national, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to protect people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases.

VYF has spent over 30 years ensuring millions of children and adults have access to vaccines. In 1991, in response to a U.S. measles epidemic that sickened more than 55,000, hospitalized 11,000, and killed more than 120 people, many of whom were young children, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers founded Every Child By Two (ECBT), which is now Vaccinate Your Family. Within two years of the establishment of ECBT, its cofounders traveled to more than a dozen states and ultimately to all 50 states to foster vaccination efforts and build immunization coalitions. They were the catalysts behind the Vaccines for Children program and efforts to ensure children and pregnant patients with WIC benefits are screened for immunizations.

One of the organization’s key community programs, SQUAD™ (SQuaring Up Against Disease), provides a scalable and sustainable platform for advocates who want to get involved in supporting vaccines and science. SQUAD™ members are passionate about protecting individuals and families against vaccine-preventable diseases because many of them have been personally impacted through loss or survivorship. Through this program, VYF engages with patient advocates and supports them with opportunities for storytelling, education, and community events.

During the fall/winter of 2025, as part of VYF’s SQUAD™ program, VYF is supporting 16 community events across the United States aimed at educating people about vaccines and providing access to vaccination services. These events are hosted by community-based organizations and patient advocates who engage with local trusted messengers to serve various populations.

VYF just launched its Vaccination Community Learning Program (VCLP)—a free, interactive, self-paced educational offering. These courses help anyone build vaccine knowledge, communication skills, and confidence to promote vaccination in their communities. All courses are free, mobile-friendly, and accessible from anywhere. Right now, the VCLP is only available in English, but a Spanish version is in development.

VYF has also launched a series of mini-courses on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV for respiratory season, which can be found on its online learning management system.

Additionally, every year, VYF creates campaigns and toolkits to promote vaccination for the respiratory season (September–March), infant immunization week (April), and back-to-school (July–September). Graphics, talking points, and other shareable resources are made available to public health partners through campaign resources. See the respiratory season materials.

VYF engages with federal policymakers in a variety of ways. To keep policymakers informed of recent updates on vaccine policy, research, and public health, VYF distributes a weekly newsletter called the Vaccine Intelligence Report to congressional members, staff, and advocates. The newsletter offers support to ongoing engagement in the immunization landscape, provides clear, fact-based updates on vaccine policy, research, and public health, and keeps vaccine advocates updated in today’s confusing, fast-moving vaccine policy environment. Sign up for the newsletter.

VYF develops and distributes its annual State of the ImmUnion© (SOTI) Report, which has specific policy recommendations. The organization also participates in several coalitions (e.g., Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, Infectious Disease Prevention Network), develops sign-on letters, and issues action alerts to encourage individuals to contact their representatives about various immunization-related issues.

VYF will be visiting Capitol Hill in October with a delegation of patient advocates who have been personally impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases. Advocacy days like this allow VYF to use storytelling and evidence-based information to educate policymakers and urge them to support strong immunization policies that protect public health.

If coalitions are not already members of the Vaccination Collaborative, please join. VYF hosts monthly meetings, an active listserv, and a login-only web portal for all partners doing work to promote immunizations. Monthly meetings offer a diverse range of speakers as well as vaccine policy updates and an opportunity for all members to share what they’re working on with nearly 400 member organizations. Email vaxcollab@vaccinateyourfamily.org to join the monthly meetings, listserv, and/or portal.

Find out more about VYF at www.vaccinateyourfamily.org and on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @vaccinateyourfamily, and on X, TikTok, and Bluesky at @vaxyourfam.

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Immunize Kansas Coalition shares updated flu resources for health professionals and community members

The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) has updated two of its featured resources designed to support flu prevention and education.

IKC’s Preventing Flu Education Module, developed in collaboration with Immunize​.org’s Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH, offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to earn continuing education (CE) credits through a 25–30-minute interactive course. The module reviews the burden of influenza, explores Kansas’ immunization rates, and highlights evidence-based strategies to improve vaccination uptake in clinical settings. Participants also practice delivering clear, confident answers to common questions about influenza and the influenza vaccine. CE credit is offered at no cost for physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurses, and nurse practitioners.

IKC’s Ask a Doctor series features short-form videos designed for easy sharing across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The videos highlight Kansas pediatricians as they answer common questions about vaccines. In the most recent video, Brandan Kennedy, MD, FAAP, explains why the flu vaccine cannot give someone the flu and emphasizes that, although children are resilient, they can still experience severe complications from flu.

Share these valuable learning opportunities with your colleagues, healthcare teams, and professional networks.

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Iowa Immunizes and Iowa Public Health Association share their newly published children’s book about being brave when it’s time to get your shots

Iowa Immunizes and the Iowa Public Health Association published a children’s book set, Bye Bye, Big Sick, about being brave when it’s time to get your shots. The book set includes a soft cover book aimed at preschoolers, a baby board book, a children’s activity sheet, and an information sheet for parents and guardians. Iowa Immunizes Chair Nathan Boonstra, MD, authored the book and member Maria Torres provided Spanish translations.

Order Bye Bye Big Sick.

Additionally, Iowa Immunizes and Iowa Public Health Association created new T-shirts available to purchase to show your commitment to public health and spark meaningful conversations. To order in bulk, contact Raygun at rgcpcontact@raygunsite.com.

View T-shirts.

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Virtual: Immunize Colorado hosts webinar “What's New with the Flu?” on November 13 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)

Immunize Colorado will host a webinar titled What’s New With the Flu? at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on November 13. During the webinar, Suchitra Rao, MBBS, MSCS, will give an annual update on the 2025–26 influenza season, as well as information about the respiratory virus season and vaccinations.

Register for the webinar.

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Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) will host a webinar titled State Vaccine-Related Legislation: 2024–2025 Overview at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on October 20. The webinar will provide an in-depth overview of AIM’s 2024–25 State Legislative Sessions Report. Attendees will learn the themes and trends surrounding vaccine-related legislation over the last year. This webinar is open to program managers, program staff, and partners.

Register for the webinar.

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In-person: AIM hosts 2025 Leadership in Action Conference December 9–11 in Palm Springs, CA

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) will host its annual Leadership in Action Conference on December 9–11 in Palm Springs, CA. The conference offers an opportunity for immunization program leaders to connect in-person with peers, develop their leadership skills, and celebrate their accomplishments over the last year.

Learn more about the benefits of exhibiting, exhibit schedules, exhibit specifications, and more in the exhibitor prospectus. Nonprofit exhibitors are provided with a special exhibitor rate which includes one complementary registration. Secure your spot before November 1.

See the 2025 Leadership in Action Conference web page for more information and to register.

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Resources

Vaccinate Your Family launches #RootedInProtection 2025 Respiratory Campaign toolkit to help spread pro-vaccine messages and answer questions

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) recently launched its #RootedInProtection 2025 Respiratory Campaign toolkit that includes easy-to-share content to help answer the questions families are asking this season:

  • What are the recommendations for influenza, RSV, and COVID vaccines this year?
  • Do I need an updated COVID-19 vaccine?
  • Who is most at risk this respiratory season?
  • How do we know these vaccines are safe? What does the science show?

The social media graphics and copy are free to use and adapt across platforms. The campaign materials can be downloaded in both English and Spanish. Please tag @vaccinateyourfamily (@vaxyourfam on X and Bluesky) and use #RootedInProtection so VYF can amplify your posts.

To co-brand these graphics, email Damaris at damaris@vaccinateyourfamily.org, and the VYF team will share the Canva files.

Please share this content with your networks.

View the campaign materials.

Related Links

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AIM and Immunize​.org share updated resource “Communicating the Benefits of Influenza Vaccination”

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and Immunize.org recently updated Communicating the Benefits of Influenza Vaccination, a one-page handout to provide recent data and recommendations on flu vaccines, as well as tips for discussing them with patients. This resource highlights the serious impact of influenza, provides patient-focused messages to emphasize the importance of annual vaccination, and supports immunization programs, healthcare providers, and partners in reinforcing the value of influenza vaccines.

View the resource.

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Submit your “Why I Vax” photo to Voices for Vaccines!

The Why I Vax campaign from Voices for Vaccines (VFV) is designed to put faces and voices to the “why” behind getting vaccinated. VFV invites you to submit a photo and briefly share why vaccination matters to you.

View the Why I Vax web page.

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CHOP’s Vaccine Education Center curates vaccine recommendations from professional medical societies, sorted by age and by disease

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center (VEC) offers its new web page, Locating the Latest Science-Based Vaccine Recommendations. VEC created a one-stop web page with the latest recommendations from professional medical societies. The web page will be updated as recommendations change or as new statements become available.

The web page includes:

  • Recommendations for birth to age 18 years, including links to AAP’s schedule and recent policy statements
  • Recommendations and statements related to vaccines for adults and during pregnancy, including a link to the January 2025 CDC adult schedule and summary recommendations with links to professional society statements
  • Information about the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), including links to guidance on fall respiratory viruses

Immunize​.org is developing a similar searchable database of professional medical society recommendations that will be announced when it is available in the coming weeks.

View the web page.

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Families Fighting Flu launches "Kaden Blaze – Flu Fighter" campaign

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) launched a new campaign to share Kaden Stevenson’s story through the comic book Kaden Blaze Fights the Flu Bug and other supporting materials. Below is a summary of Kaden’s story.

In December 2022, 7-year-old Kaden contracted the flu. Due to severe complications, he spent over 9 weeks in the hospital and ultimately lost both of his legs. That same winter, another young boy—just 5 years old—was hospitalized with the flu and tragically didn’t survive.

After his recovery, Kaden told his mom he must have superpowers because he survived—and that he wanted to use those powers to protect other kids from the flu. From that mission, Kaden Blaze was born.

Campaign resources include:

  • Kaden Blaze flu fact sheet
  • Stickers and postcards
  • Graphics and social media toolkit
  • Educational worksheets

FFF will continue adding new content throughout the season to support your influenza awareness and engagement efforts.

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MeningitisAwareness​.org releases new educational video series on meningococcal vaccination for healthcare providers

MeningitisAwareness.org launched its new Expert video series for healthcare providers with key facts, insights, and strategies to support timely meningococcal vaccination among at-risk groups. Each video is less than 10 minutes, allowing healthcare providers to quickly gain new insights.

The videos currently include:

Additional videos and topics are planned in the coming months.

Follow along on LinkedIn.

View the videos.

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The International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shares state-level immunization monitoring briefs

The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health works to accelerate vaccine access and uptake to ensure that all people are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. The IVAC team also manages the U.S. Measles Tracker, with data on measles cases feeding into its state briefs. The State-Level Immunization Monitoring Briefs have been developed for 50 states and the District of Columbia, displaying tailored information on the extent to which children are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. The aim of these briefs is to build and sustain policy support for the value of childhood vaccination at the state level.

National coverage of key childhood immunizations lags behind targets, leaving children susceptible to disease. At the state level, there has been an increasing number of proposed bills that would either strengthen or weaken access to and uptake of routine childhood vaccines. This trend is expected to continue in the upcoming legislative sessions.

You are welcome to share the information contained in these briefs with colleagues, advocacy groups, members of the media, and state policymakers to inform immunization decisions.  The briefs were also presented on the October 8 closed coalition directors’ virtual meeting. Of note, one director commented that some statistics in the brief did not match the data cited by the coalition because they were from different survey years or sources than those used by the coalition. If you have questions or feedback on the briefs, please reach out to Tory Willens at vwillen1@jh.edu.

View the briefs.

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Public Health Communications Collaborative shares new vaccine talking points and resources

The Public Health Communications Collaborative offers new resources to help communicate with your community about the 2025–26 vaccines, vaccine mandates, and general vaccine safety. The resources include:

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Vaccine Integrity Project publishes a table of medical society vaccination guidelines, along with interactive tables leading to hundreds of studies of vaccine safety and effectiveness published in the past year

The Vaccine Integrity Project assembled a team of experts in epidemiology, infectious diseases, and evidence review to look at recently published and publicly available data on vaccine safety and effectiveness for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations.

The Vaccine Integrity Project recently published an interactive table infographic that links users to current professional medical society guidance. They will update the table when recommendations are added or revised.

Within each cell of the table is a hyperlink called “VIP Reviewed Evidence” that leads to a summation of recent studies of vaccine safety and effectiveness organized by disease and by age group. The Studies tab lists over 731 citations of study reports, sorted by virus, target population for vaccination, and journal.

Visit the Vaccine Integrity Project home page to access these tools and other resources.

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AMA releases new vaccine infographics for patients and physicians

The American Medical Association (AMA) released new tools to help patients and physicians cut through the confusion around vaccines, and converse openly and honestly. The tools are described below.

  • Why Vaccines Matter to Your Health: an infographic for patients explaining why vaccination is an important part of staying healthy and encouraging families to discuss their questions with their doctor
  • How To Talk to Your Patients About Vaccines: an infographic for physicians with sample conversation starters for speaking with patients who may be unsure about vaccines—helping to build trust and understanding

    

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In the News

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Announcements

Announcements from the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions reminds you of the important ways every coalition can plug into the power of our network:

  • Bookmark National Network of Immunization Coalitions’ Calendar of Events on its website, immunizationcoalitions.org, to learn about upcoming national, regional, state, and local conferences; workshops; and virtual educational opportunities.
  • Subscribe to IZ Express, the free weekly e-newsletter produced by Immunize.org, for immunization-related news, new and updated recommendations, educational materials, and educational opportunities.
  • Please visit the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS, the “Summit” at www.izsummitpartners.org to check out the latest resources on operationalizing, and payment for, adult and influenza vaccines. If you are not a Summit partner, please sign on at: www.izsummitpartners.org/join-the-summit.
  • Urge your coalition members to sign up for IZ Coalitions Network News, the monthly e-newsletter for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions that features news of interest to immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations. To subscribe, send a request to info@immunizationcoalitions.org asking to be included.
  • Be sure that your coalition is listed and information is up to date on the National Network of Immunization Coalitions website. To add your coalition or make updates, please email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.
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