Recap of June 2023 Events
In June, AIRA staff traveled to attend several in-person events and worked hard to host another informational Discovery Session.
From June 12 to 15, the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and AIRA collaborated to hold the ninth annual IIS Leadership Workshop for new and emerging leaders across the immunization information systems (IIS) community. Twenty-one individuals from 17 jurisdictions gathered at the PHII offices in Decatur, Georgia, to discuss, among other topics, data quality, budgets and sustainability, procurements and contracting, staffing and workforce, and the role of the IIS leader. The workshop focused on providing high-level information on each topic, followed by links and information about resources across the community. To quote one participant, “Thank you for all the valuable tools and helpful resources. I am definitely keeping my workbook handy as well as implementing my work plan daily.”
Additionally, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) met June 15–16 in Washington, D.C., to discuss a number of late-breaking topics, including vaccine fatigue among patients and health care professionals, the role of vaccines in stopping the spread of superbugs, vaccines and the 100-day mission to end pandemics, and preparing for the potential approval of passive immunization products. The group closed the session by discussing goals for restoring vaccination rates.
On June 21–23, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss RSV, polio, influenza, pneumococcal, dengue, chikungunya, mpox, meningococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines. On the first day, ACIP voted in favor of recommending RSV vaccine for adults. Adults 60 years of age or older may receive a single dose of RSV vaccine, using shared clinical decision-making. Over the course of the three-day meeting, the committee voted on polio vaccination for adults, influenza vaccination (2023–2024 vaccine composition and egg allergy language), pneumococcal conjugate vaccination for children, and several Vaccines for Children (VFC) resolutions. A full summary was sent to the IIS community on Friday, June 30.
The June 26 Discovery Session covering IIS and health equity received high participation from the community, leaving us excited for the next one! You can register today for the next Discovery Session on July 24 to learn how jurisdictions are improving IIS data quality.
During the last week of June, AIRA staff attended the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) annual meeting. Attendees heard updates on a collaborative, revenue-generating project between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and nine state health departments to pilot an online system allowing applicants to easily change their name due to changes in marital status. Similarly, the IIS community and jurisdictions are working with their federal and technical counterparts to develop and implement Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) messaging standards. With the adoption of Birth and Fetal Death Reporting (BFDR) and Vital Record Death Reporting (VRDR) FHIR messaging standards, vital records offices across the country are gearing up for some exciting changes. Additionally, to fully support electronic vital records programs and national data exchange, the NAPHSIS 2023 Model Law Committee is working on language revisions of the 2011 Model Law.