Information for Health Professionals

This page provides resources for healthcare personnel who provide immunization services.

For Vaccine Providers

It's Federal Law - You Must Use Vaccine Information Statements (CDC web site) every time you give a vaccine.

Instructions for the Use of Vaccine Information Statements (CDC web site)
Translations of Vaccine Information Statements (Immunization Action Coalition web site)

Storage and Handling of Immunobiologics - pages 17 through 19 of General Recommendations (CDC web site)
Vaccine Storage & Handling Toolkit (CDC website)
Checklist for Safe Vaccine Storage (Immunization Action Coalition web site)
Don’t Be Guilty of These Errors in Vaccine Storage and Handling
Temperature Logs

Clinic Supplies Checklist
Emergency Protocols – CPR: Clinical staff should receive annual CPR certification.
- The American Heart Association online is a resource.
Emergency Protocols - Anaphylaxis: Clinics should have a protocol in place for emergencies.
- Medical Management of Vaccine Reactions in Children & Teens
- Medical Management of Vaccine Reactions in Adult Patients
Vaccination Records: See page 30 in the General Recommendations (CDC web site)
- Provider Records:
  - Vaccine Administration Record For Children and Teens (Immunization Action Coalition web site) and
  - Vaccine Administration Record For Adults (Immunization Action Coalition web site).
- Personal Immunization Record: Patients or parents should always be given a personal immunization record. All vaccine providers may order a supply of Oklahoma’s Official Immunization Record Card (OSDH Form No. 218B) by calling the Oklahoma State Dept. of Health Shipping and Receiving Department at (405) 271-1777.
Immunization Registry: The Oklahoma State Immunization Information System (OSIIS) is available to all providers who have Internet access. Find out more about OSIIS in the Oklahoma State Immunization Information System section of this web site.
Vaccines for Children Program Information (CDC web site)

Every person who administers vaccines should screen every patient for contraindications and precautions before giving vaccines.

Effective screening is key to preventing serious adverse events and is not difficult or complicated. Screening can be accomplished with just a few questions (See the screening forms which follow).

The "Contraindications and Precautions" section in the General Recommendations (CDC web site), pages 40 through 43, describes valid and invalid contraindications and precautions.

Screening Questionnaire – Children and Teens (Immunization Action Coalition - IAC - web site): Child and teen immunization screening tool, developed by the IAC, includes rationale for screening questions.
Screening Questionnaire for Adults (IAC web site): Adult immunization screening tool, developed by the IAC, includes rationale for the screening questions.
Quick Guide to Contraindications to Vaccinations (IAC web site): Designed to help vaccine providers determine what common and uncommon symptoms and conditions are contraindications and which ones are not.

More specific information on contraindications and precautions is available in vaccine-specific ACIP recommendations.

Comforting Restraint
Immunization Site Maps: Where to give multiple doses.
Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size
The "Vaccine Administration" section in the General Recommendations, pages 13 through 16.

Store vaccines properly.
Distribute Vaccine Information Statements to parents or vaccine recipients prior to administration of each dose of vaccine and answer all patient and parent questions.
Administer vaccines correctly including proper dose, route, site, and needle size.
Screen patients for and observe valid precautions and contraindications.
Follow current recommended immunization schedules for children, adolescents and adults, including proper timing and spacing of vaccine doses.
Manage vaccine side effects using your best clinical judgment.
Have procedures in place and be prepared for emergency care of a person who experiences an anaphylactic reaction.
Report suspected side effects to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
Follow federal requirements for recording vaccines administered.Talking with Parents about Vaccines for Infants (CDC web site)
Understanding MMR Vaccine Safety
If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child Understand the Risks and Responsibilities (CDC web site download)
Thimerosal Table
Vaccine Components

Talking with Parents About Vaccines

HPV and Meningococcal Resources

Recommended Immunization Schedules

Free Online Immunization Training

Competency Based Skills Checklist for Immunization
“You Call the Shots” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Immunization Courses: Webcasts and Self Study
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Presentable Disease (CDC Publication)
Teaching Immunization Delivery and Evaluation: The new TIDE vaccine safety module is designed to help you explain the dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases and the effectiveness of vaccines against them, as well as answering parents' common vaccine safety questions.
Teaching Immunization for Medical Education: This curriculum is designed for use in medical schools to support immunization instruction. The materials provide student objectives, learning objectives, key teaching points, and resources.

CE Credit for Physicians

Building an Adult Immunization Practice: The Primary Care Physician's Role in Disease Prevention (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases - NFID web site)
NFID Adult Immunization CME Learning Center on Medscape (Medscape web site)

CE Credit for Nurses

Free Immunization Continuing Education Credit through Nip-It (Nursing Initiative Promoting Immunization Training web site)

Important Information

General Recommendations on Immunization
- Need a printed copy? ACIP Recommendations can be ordered online at no charge
Vaccination Criteria for U.S. Immigration
Online Personalized Immunization Scheduler for Children Birth through Six Years

Q: What are the new ACIP recommendations for vaccinating pregnant women with Tdap?

A: The new ACIP recommendations are that pregnant women receive Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy, even if they have received Tdap previously. Women who have never received Tdap and who do not receive it during pregnancy should receive it immediately postpartum.

Q: If a woman did not receive Tdap during pregnancy, and it is uncertain whether she received a dose of Tdap prior to her pregnancy, should she receive a dose of Tdap postpartum?
A: Yes. If there is no written documentation that she received a dose of Tdap prior to or during pregnancy, a dose of Tdap should be administered to her immediately postpartum.

Q: A 7-year-old who needed a tetanus shot for wound management came into our emergency department. My question is, if a child has received the complete 5-dose series of DTaP but has never had Tdap, should the child receive Tdap or Td for wound management?
A: Neither. A child who has completed 5 doses of DTaP has by definition received the fifth dose on or after his/her fourth birthday. In this child's case, it has been less than four years since receipt of the complete series, so the child does not need either Tdap or Td. The child is fully vaccinated against tetanus according to CDC tetanus wound management guidelines.

Q: What are the new ACIP recommendations for use of MenHibrix, the new combination meningococcal Groups C and Y and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine?
A: Licensed in June 2012, MenHibrix (Hib-MenCY; GSK) is a vaccine indicated for active immunization to prevent invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and Y and Haemophilus influenzae type b. This vaccine does not protect against meningococcal serogroups A, B, and W135. In October 2012, ACIP voted to recommend that infants at increased risk for meningococcal disease be vaccinated with 4 doses of Hib-MenCY at age 2, 4, 6, and 12 through 15 months. This includes infants with recognized persistent complement pathway deficiencies and infants who have anatomic or functional asplenia, including sickle cell disease. You can find this in footnote #13 of the "Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 0 Through 18 Years - United States, 2013". Hib-MenCY can be used in infants age 2 through 18 months who live in communities with serogroup C and Y meningococcal disease outbreaks.

2016 Editions
January 2016 Oklahoma Immunization Update
February 2016 Oklahoma Immunization Update
March 2016 Oklahoma Immunization Update
April 2016 Oklahoma Immunization Update

For previous issues of the Oklahoma Immunization Update contact the Immunization Service at (405) 426-8580.

Contact Information

Mailing Address
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Immunization Service
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406

Physical Location
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

Phone: 405.426.8580
Fax: 405.900.7612
Email: immunize@health.ok.gov

Related Topics

Information for Health Professionals

For Vaccine Providers

Federally Required Vaccine Information Statements

Vaccine Storage and Handling

Clinic Operations

Screening for Contraindications

Vaccine Administration

Vaccine Safety and Health Care Personnel Responsibilities

Talking with Parents