Updates & News

UPDATES FOR ALL

Happy New Year all!!

I've just added this Nov 25 study to the injection technique bit of the site. Thanks Fray - good spot. Tattoo ink induces inflammation in the draining lymph node and alters the immune response to vaccination.

5th Jan: PGD template updated to support the national pneumococcal vaccine (13-valent or 15-valent, adsorbed) (PCV) vaccination programme. Amended to:

• remove immunisation of individuals from 6 weeks of age in response to an outbreak of pneumococcal disease due to introduction of PCV20 for outbreaks

• update 8-week dose interval to 4-week interval as per updated Green Book Chapter 25

• inform to use PCV20 PGD for routine programme for individuals who have asplenia, splenic dysfunction, complement disorder or severe immunocompromise

• delete off label use of dose schedules as SPC states that the schedules should be in accordance with national recommendations

• add Prevenar 13® is interchangeable with other PCV vaccines as per the Green Book Chapter 25 in off-label section

add minimum 4-week dose interval in accordance with the Green Book, Chapter 25 where 8-week dose interval is indicated in the SPCs in off-label section

5th Jan: While the UK is busy adding more important vaccines to the schedule, the USA is doing the opposite. This does not bode well for the resurgence of infectious diseases :-( US to slash routine vaccine recommendations for children in major change experts say creates doubt.

8th Jan: Flu update: Over 18.6 million eligible people have been vaccinated so far and nationally, reminders are going out to 300,000 at risk children next week. With flu still circulating please continue to do all you can to encourage eligible people to have their vaccine. Don't forget yourself too! Uptake of the vaccine among HCP's was 44% up to the 31st Dec.

14th Jan: latest ponderings: Does EMLA interfere with vaccines? What the evidence actually says

14th Jan: Updated contact details in here: Measles: public health response to cases who have travelled whilst infectious (Guidance about infectious measles linked to international travel, including air, sea and land crossings)

19th Jan: Pneumococcal vaccination for older adults and for individuals in a clinical risk group: Information for healthcare practitioners published to aid with implementing the transition to PCV20. There is advice in there such as once available to order, even if PPV23 stocks haven’t finished, PCV20 should be used for those aged 2 years and above with severe immunosuppression. Additionally, health protection teams may access the national supply for management of outbreaks of pneumococcal disease in closed settings. However, in order to avoid wastage, PCV20 will not be available to order for other indications until the national stock of PPV23 has been exhausted. If PPV23 is indicated for an individual and is in the fridge, it must be used up first.

19th Jan: Updated versions of the GP and community pharmacy seasonal vaccination service specifications have been published. These have been updated to reflect changes to the COVID-19 vaccine ordering process, and new terminology for patients who may require a COVID-19 vaccination outside of usual campaign timing.

20th Jan: Measles resurgence: Global Virus Network calls for urgent action

22nd Jan: UKHSA have produced a blog intended for the public called: What is measles and why is it so important we're up to date with our vaccines to protect against it? Not the best grammar, but an important message.

23rd Jan: Measles: the green book chapter updated to align wording to other Green book chapters.

Oh RFK what are you thinking? RFK Jr. appoints 2 vocal opponents of vaccine use in pregnancy to federal advisory board. But there is a glimmer of hope for the US vaccine programmes - pushback is clearly in force: States, health organizations reject new CDC vaccine guidance

29th Jan: 1 in 4 school-leavers unprotected by HPV vaccine

Jan 2026: No link found between routine childhood vaccines, aluminum adjuvants, and epilepsy risk

CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATION NEWS

1st Jan: Exciting bit of news to start the year off! Families to have better access to childhood vaccinations: A new £2 million pilot will see health visitors reach families facing barriers to vaccines, to ensure more children are protected. I'm excited to hear what people think of this on the imms updates. Let me know your thoughts :-) Also looking forward to meeting more Health Visitors on courses (hopefully!).

Also, here we go with MMRV.... Good luck everyone!! I've heard on the grapevine that people have been struggling with the EMIS templates - apparently a bit of jiggery pokery on the back end solves things and updates it to the new template. Ask your managers! Don't forget your Red Book updated pages as well.

12th Jan: Wow - there have been so many questions about MMRV, and much confusion. Eeeek. Today the Information for Healthcare Practitioners document has been updated to clarify the catch-up cohort eligibility and common questions about immunising children who have fallen behind on the routine schedule. THIS is a useful table confirming what to offer those who are behind with their schedule. Much needed guidance!!!

15th Jan: Varicella Green Book Chapter revised.

19th Jan: Mumps Green Book Chapter revised to include the MMRV vaccine.

21st Jan: Some MUCH NEEDED clarification updates in the PGD template for MMRV

29th Jan: Some vaccine coverage data has appeared for HPV, Men ACWY and the school leaver Td/IPV boosters which I have highlighted key points in more detail in each of the related portals. Although there is always room for improvement (particularly in London it seems), it's nice to see that all groups had increases in uptake from 23-24.

TRAVEL HEALTH NEWS

If you are travelling soon check out NaTHNaC's festive travel safely tips!

So proud of my awesome mate and fellow travel health specialist nurse, David for launching his YouTube channel this month. Check it out! And feel free to recommend it to your travellers for some trustworthy traveller-centred information. Here's his fabulous website!

8th Jan: Ixiaro is now back in stock for direct ordering on www.valneva.co.uk; after a period of having to place limits on supply, they now have enough inventory to last for about 4-5 months, so are not expecting to have to place limits on Ixiaro. Thanks for the update Jo!

9th Jan: Novel cholera vaccine shows promise in phase 1 trial. Hello and good luck to 'PanChol' (pandemic cholera vaccine), another single-dose, live-attenuated oral cholera vaccine derived from the V cholerae 01 strain, which has been responsible for most global cholera outbreaks.

Loving the re-jig to make the educational events section more visible on Travel Health Pro. Oh NaTHNaC, we do love you.

ABTA has launched its Destinations to Watch report for 2026. Get some inspiration for your next trip!

From Valneva: New downloadable content. There are three videos for your digital displays: Chikungunya map, Japanese Encephalitis Map and a Mosquito-borne disease video.

ADULT IMMUNISATION NEWS

15th Jan 2025: RSV vaccine coverage report in older adults in England up to November 2025 published. Vaccine coverage in the routine and catch-up cohorts combined reached 61.9%. I think the most striking disparity between all the demographic variables was in the ethnic group category, with the highest coverage reported among White-British (65.3%) and the lowest among Asian or Asian British - Pakistani (24.0%). The maternal vaccination programme also showed a disparity here too with coverage varying wildly by ethnic group: the highest coverage was reported among 'Other' ethnic group – Chinese (79.6%) and the lowest among Black or Black British – Caribbean (28.5%).

22nd Jan: In February 2026 NHSE is running a national RSV invitation campaign to support uptake. Invitations will be sent to unvaccinated individuals that are eligible for the older adults RSV vaccination programme. The invitation will advise people to contact their GP to book an RSV vaccination appointment. In areas where community pharmacy providers are commissioned to deliver RSV vaccinations, the invitation will also include a link to the National Booking Service and RSV walk-in service finder. Get stocking up!! (And don't forget to continue proactively calling and recalling as usual)

Useful cheat sheet from Wales

Interesting reading this month:

Child health in international travel: A German airport survey. Bottom line: Many families do not, or not correctly, follow recommended prevention measures.

Guardian article: NHS spending up to £19k a time treating people suffering after overseas surgery, research finds: Study suggests as many as 53% of ‘medical tourists’ end up with complications such as infections and organ failure

More than half a million chikungunya cases reported globally in 2025

Early trial of Nipah virus vaccine shows promise

How can one NOT be intrigued by this title? He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing. I totally agree that new delivery methods are needed - I just hope this chap gets the ethical approval and doesn't flaunt the experimentation rules much further. His heart is in the right place.

Analysis of the non-natural deaths of US citizens while abroad. Not suprising that RTAs feature in this.

Written in Nov 2025 but I only just discovered this interesting article now: Association between vaccinations and risk of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Conclusions? Adult vaccinations, particularly against herpes zoster, influenza, pneumococcus and Tdap, are associated with a lower risk of dementia. Should vaccination strategies be incorporated into public health initiatives for dementia prevention?.