Vaccine update: issue 355, February 2025
Published 28 February 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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Registration for NIN 2025 now open
Booking is now available for the UKHSA’s 12th National Immunisation Network (NIN) training conference.
Visit the NIN 2025 site to book your place.
This year’s event, themed ‘Immunisation: Live long and prosper’, will focus on data-driven developments in vaccines across the life course and their wider economic and societal impact.
- Day 1 has a strong scientific focus and will include hot topic sessions on significant exciting new developments, expansions and new vaccines used in the routine and selective immunisation programmes
- Day 2 has an operational and implementation focus, including sharing of innovative developments and successes in programme delivery
NIN 2025 scientific poster competition
To submit your abstract, fill out the submission form.
Following on from the success of the poster competition in 2024, we would like to invite you to submit an abstract for a poster which showcases work that you have undertaken to improve uptake of vaccines in eligible cohorts.
- abstract submissions due 3 March 2025
- final poster submissions due 5 May 2025
You can submit a poster abstract on any aspect of your practice, scientific or epidemiological. We are particularly interested in strategies relating to the infant and older adult programme.
For more details, email immunisation.website@ukhsa.gov.uk.
Annual flu letter published for 2025 to 2026
The tripartite annual flu letter sets out which groups are eligible for flu vaccination in 2025 to 2026 and which vaccine should be offered to them. There are no changes to the cohorts nor timing for this autumn’s programme.
Please note that the World Health Organization has recommended a move to trivalent formulations of influenza vaccines in preference to quadrivalent formulations. All influenza vaccines have either already got Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approval to be trivalent or manufacturers are in the process of seeking the relevant approvals.
Flu vaccine uptake
A big thank you to all the NHS flu vaccinators, including staff in general practice, pharmacy, trusts and school-age immunisation teams for all their hard work.
Provisional monthly flu vaccine uptake data for the 2024 to 2025 flu season is available for GP patient cohorts, the school-aged programme, and frontline healthcare workers. The final set of monthly data will be published on Thursday 27 March.
See the provisional monthly flu vaccine uptake data.
Updated vaccine coverage data for adolescent immunisation programmes
The HPV, MenACWY and Td/IPV vaccination programmes play a crucial role in protecting the population against cancers, meningitis, tetanus, polio and diphtheria. These programmes are delivered by School Aged Immunisation Services (SAIS). All of the teenage programmes experienced significant disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coverage figures achieved across these programmes would not be possible without SAIS’ hard work and dedication. The latest data reflect intensive, ongoing work to catch-up older year groups who missed out on vaccination at point of first offer.
For the 2023 to 2024 academic year (compared against 2022 to 203), data show that coverage for:
| HPV - female students | HPV - male students | |
|---|---|---|
| year 8 | 72.9% (+1.6) | 67.7% (+2.5) |
| year 9 | 74.1% (-1.6) | 68.5% (-1.2) |
| year 10 | 76.7% (-6.5) | 71.2% (-7.4) |
| MenACWY | Td/IPV | |
| year 9 | 72.1% (+3.5) | 71.7% (+3.4) |
| year 10 | 73% (-0.4) | 72.7% (-1.4) |
Coverage in the routine cohorts has improved since last year with HPV coverage in year 8 rising by 1.6 percentage points in female students and 2.5 percentage points in male students. Also, in year 9 MenACWY coverage has risen by 3.5 percentage points and Td/IPV coverage has risen by 3.4 percentage points. These results underscore the continuing importance of catch-up in older year groups to ensure coverage returns to pre-pandemic levels. For more details on adolescent vaccine coverage, please see the annual vaccine coverage reports for HPV, MenACWY and Td/IPV or contact adolescent@ukhsa.gov.uk.
To support these programmes, there is a range of resources and leaflets available to help young people to understand the school-aged programmes and support vaccine confidence:
- Immunisations for teenagers and young people
- HPV universal vaccination: leaflet
- A guide to the 3 in 1 teenage booster (Td/IPV)
- MenACWY vaccine: information for young people
New maternal vaccines communications toolkit and materials
September 2024 marked the start of the new RSV vaccine offer to pregnant women, meaning that pregnant women are now routinely offered two vaccines in pregnancy, with an additional seasonal offer of the flu vaccine between September and March every year.
To highlight the important protection provided by the RSV vaccine and other vaccines offered in pregnancy, UKHSA and NHS England have produced a new joint maternal vaccines toolkit for stakeholders. It includes a series of new social media assets and a vaccines in pregnancy postcard. These resources can help stakeholders explain the impact of RSV, whooping cough and flu and how by getting the vaccines offered to them while they are pregnant, women help protect their babies in the first few months of life when they are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell. The resources also act as a visual reminder to get vaccinated.
These materials are also available for download on the Campaigns Resource Centre.
You can help us by:
- sharing information about the vaccines with your networks – we have resources to share with your audiences including posters, postcards, digital screen graphics, social media and suggested copy
- helping us find case studies – we are looking for case studies of people (or their children) hospitalised as a result of not being vaccinated who are willing to share their experiences in the press or on social media to encourage others to take up the vaccine offer
If you have any questions, please get in touch with externalaffairs@ukhsa.gov.uk.
Save the date: Fundamentals of Immunisation
- attendance at this event is in person only
- course fee: £250 for two days (£125 for one day)
The UK Health Security Agency and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health are running their annual Fundamentals of Immunisation course in May 2025. This two-day intense theoretical course is designed for those new to a role in immunisation and is most suited to those who give or advise on a range of different vaccines.
The course comprises a series of lectures from national immunisation experts and will provide delegates with the latest information on the range of topics included in the ‘Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training’. A basic level of prior immunisation knowledge and familiarity with the Green Book (Immunisation against infectious disease) will be assumed.
The programme includes the following topics:
- why immunisation matters
- vaccine manufacture and vaccines trials
- immunology of immunisation
- current and emerging issues in vaccine preventable disease
- monitoring vaccine safety
- talking with parents about immunisation
- vaccine coverage data collections
- maximising immunisation uptake
- legal issues including consent
- practical issues storage and administration
- the scientific basis of national vaccine policy
- designing, informing and monitoring immunisation programmes
If you have any queries, please contact Helen Bedford h.bedford@ucl.ac.uk or Laura Craig laura.craig@ukhsa.gov.uk.
Vaccine supply
Routine vaccination programme
Change of vaccine brand for the pre-school booster diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and polio (dTaP/IPV) vaccination
The vaccine brand used for the pre-school booster diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and polio (dTaP/IPV) vaccination is changing from Boostrix-IPV® to REPEVAX®. The vaccines are clinically equivalent, and continue to be offered at 3 years 4 months of age, and to children up to 10 years of age who have not yet received it. Please continue to order and administer Boostrix-IPV® until ImmForm and local stockholdings deplete.
REPEVAX® vaccine is expected to be available to order via ImmForm from spring 2025. High-level ordering controls will be in place to reduce the risk of ordering errors only. These are not intended to restrict activity.
REPEVAX® vaccine ordered via ImmForm will be supplied as a single dose pack, containing one pre-filled syringe of vaccine and a patient information leaflet (PIL). The pack does not contain a needle for administration. Guidance on the choice of needle size can be found in chapter 4: Immunisation procedures of the Green Book. Needles should be obtained locally.
Please add REPEVAX® to your routine ImmForm order where possible, rather than creating additional orders.
To minimise wastage due to fridge failures, please order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock.
Details about the pre-school booster dTaP/IPV vaccination programme are published in chapter 24: Pertussis in the Green Book.
Further details about REPEVAX® vaccine can be found in the SmPC.
Contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk for ordering queries.
Supply of vaccines with reduced shelf life
Vaccines supplied via ImmForm for the routine immunisation programme will usually have at least 3 months of shelf-life remaining at the time of delivery. To help reduce wastage, vaccines with reduced shelf-life will occasionally be supplied. This will typically only apply to small volumes of stock. However, where vaccines may be supplied with reduced shelf-life for an extended period, ImmForm customers will be informed via ImmForm news articles, updates on the ImmForm product page, or a click-through pop-up message at the time of ordering. ImmForm customers should order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock to minimise wastage due to fridge failures or failure to use stock before expiry. See chapter 3: Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines of the Green Book (Immunisation against infectious disease) for further details on the storage and supply of vaccines.
Change of vaccine brand for meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY) vaccination
The vaccine used for meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY) vaccination is changing from Nimenrix® to MenQuadfi®. The vaccines are clinically equivalent. Please continue to order and administer Nimenrix® until ImmForm and local stockholdings deplete.
MenQuadfi® vaccine is now available to order via ImmForm. High-level ordering controls will be in place to reduce the risk of ordering errors only. These are not intended to restrict activity.
MenQuadfi® vaccine ordered via ImmForm will be supplied as a single-dose pack, containing one vial of vaccine and a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL). The pack does not contain a needle or a syringe for administration. Guidance on the choice of needle size can be found in chapter 4 of the Green Book. Needles and syringes should be obtained locally.
MenQuadfi® and Nimenrix® vaccines are packed in different sized cartons. Please ensure you have enough fridge capacity before placing any orders. To help with planning storage requirements, the dimensions are as follows:
- MenQuadfi® is 58 x 32 x 45mm (H x W x D)
- Nimenrix® was 57 x 27 x 135mm (H x W x D)
Please add MenQuadfi® to your routine ImmForm order where possible, rather than creating additional orders. To minimise wastage due to fridge failures, please order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock.
Details about the meningococcal vaccination programme are published in chapter 22 of the Green Book.
Further details about MenQuadfi® vaccine can be found in the SmPC.
Contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk for ordering queries.
Introduction of Abrysvo® RSV vaccine for older adults and during pregnancy for infant protection
From 1 September 2024, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) programmes were introduced for older adults and during pregnancy for infant protection. Please refer to the letter introducing the new NHS programmes against RSV.
The same RSV vaccine, Abrysvo®, is used for both programmes.
Abrysvo® vaccine is now available to order via ImmForm. Customers in Scotland should refer to local ordering guidance. High-level ordering controls are in place to reduce the risk of ordering errors only. These are not intended to restrict activity. Any further updates to ordering information will be published online as an ImmForm news article.
Abrysvo® vaccine ordered via ImmForm is supplied as a single-dose pack, containing one vial of vaccine, diluent for reconstitution and a PIL.
Each pack also contains one 25G x 25mm (1”) needle. Guidance on the choice of needle size can be found in chapter 4 of the Green Book. If required, other sizes of needles should be obtained locally.
The pack of Abrysvo® vaccine is physically larger than most other vaccines supplied via ImmForm. The vaccine must be stored between 2 to 8˚C. Please ensure you have enough fridge capacity before placing any orders. To help with planning storage requirements, each single dose pack measures 73mm x 35mm x 116mm (H x W x D).
When ordering Abrysvo® vaccine, orders should be placed for the ImmForm product that is specific to each RSV protection programme.
Product ordered for the infant RSV protection programme (offered to pregnant women) should not be used for the older adult RSV protection programme and vice versa. Account holders will see two different product lines and should order accordingly.
To minimise wastage due to fridge failures, please order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock.
Details about the RSV vaccination programmes are published in chapter 27a of the Green Book.
Further details about Abrysvo® vaccine can be found in the SmPC.
Contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk for ordering queries.
Vaccines for the 2024 to 2025 children’s flu programme supplied by UKHSA
LAIV ordering for the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) Fluenz® has now closed
Expiry dates for all batches of Fluenz® issued for the 2024 to 2025 children’s flu programme are set out in the table below. The final batch expires on 3 March 2025, all other batches have already expired. Please remember to check expiry dates before administering and ensure that expired stock is disposed of in line with local policies. Any disposed stock should be recorded through the ImmForm stock incident page.
| Batch number | Expiry date | Batch number | Expiry date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WH2527 | Tuesday 10 December 2024 | WK2077 | Monday 6 January 2025 |
| WH2527B | Tuesday 10 December 2024 | WK3406 | Monday 13 January 2025 |
| WH2544 | Wednesday 11 December 2024 | WK3410 | Monday 13 January 2025 |
| WH2544B | Wednesday 11 December 2024 | WL2038 | Monday 20 January 2025 |
| WH2545B | Monday 16 December 2024 | WL2038B | Monday 20 January 2025 |
| WH2546B | Tuesday 17 December 2024 | WL2039 | Monday 27 January 2025 |
| WH2547 | Wednesday 18 December 2024 | WL2039B | Monday 27 January 2025 |
| WH2547B | Monday 23 December 2024 | WL2041 | Tuesday 28 January 2025 |
| WJ2622B | Monday 23 December 2024 | WL2040 | Monday 3 February 2025 |
| WJ2150 | Tuesday 24 December 2024 | WL2040B | Monday 3 February 2025 |
| WJ2622 | Tuesday 24 December 2024 | WL2522 | Monday 10 February 2025 |
| WJ2623 | Monday 30 December 2024 | WL2522B | Monday 10 February 2025 |
| WK2074 | Monday 30 December 2024 | WL2688 | Monday 17 February 2025 |
| WK2074B | Tuesday 31 December 2024 | WL2688B | Monday 17 February 2025 |
Inactivated flu vaccine ordering
The Cell Based Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) (QIVc) is available to order, in a single dose pack, for:
- children in clinical risk groups aged from six months to less than 2 years old
- children aged from 2 to under 18 years old in clinical risk groups for whom LAIV is clinically contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable
- healthy children from 2 years old to those in school year 11, for whom LAIV is unsuitable (for example, due to objection to LAIV on the grounds of its porcine gelatine content)
- children who may still require a second dose and LAIV is no longer available (for example, children in clinical risk groups aged from 2 to under 9 years who have not received influenza vaccine before)
This vaccine will remain available for order until Thursday 27 March 2025, for final deliveries on Monday 31 March 2025.
The impact of changes to opening hours on routine vaccine deliveries
Please consider temporary changes to opening times when placing ImmForm orders. Orders should only be placed for days when your site is open and capable of receiving them. If you are aware of a scheduled site closure, please refrain from placing an order for that date. In case of a one-off closure, consider rescheduling your order for the week before or after. This approach will contribute to improved overall efficiencies and enhance delivery performance for the benefit of all customers.
It is not possible to accommodate one-off changes to delivery days. Customers should report long-term changes to the days and times when they can accept deliveries, such as routine training days and closures, by contacting Movianto UK Customer Care (moviantouk.nhscc@movianto.com; 01234 587207).
This should not be used to report short-term changes due to absence or holidays.
DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccine ordering
Supplies of DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccines Infanrix hexa® and Vaxelis® are available for the routine infant primary immunisations programme.
Orders for Infanrix hexa® remain unrestricted. Customers in England and Wales may order up to 20 packs of Vaxelis® per ImmForm account per week. Customers in Scotland should refer to their local ordering restrictions. Providers should not order more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock to minimise wastage due to fridge failures. For assistance, please contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk.
The European Union (EU) Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) no longer applies in Northern Ireland
From 1 January 2025, the European Union (EU) Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) no longer applies in Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework agreement removes any EU FMD packaging, labelling and barcode requirements for medicines distributed in Northern Ireland.
Customers in Northern Ireland are not required, nor will they have the capability, to verify medicines using the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS/SecurMed).
Customers across the UK no longer have access to the EU database to verify or decommission unique identifier (UI) codes and will be unable to scan FMD barcodes in at any stage of the supply chain.
MMR vaccine ordering
M-M-RvaxPro vaccine should be ordered for all MMR vaccinations, unless a patient requires a porcine gelatine-free MMR vaccine. ImmForm customers in England and Wales may order M-M-RvaxPro vaccine without restriction.
In addition, ImmForm customers in England and Wales may order up to ten porcine gelatine-free Priorix vaccines per account per week.
ImmForm customers in Scotland should refer to their local ordering restrictions.
Both MMR vaccines may only be ordered for outbreak purposes when this is part of a national catch-up campaign.
Non-routine vaccine supply
Hepatitis A vaccine
Adult
- GSK: supply of Havrix Adult PFS singles and packs of 10 are currently available
- Sanofi Pasteur: Avaxim PFS singles are currently available. Avaxim packs of 10 are currently available
- MSD: VAQTA Adult is available
Paediatric
- GSK: supply of Havrix Paediatric singles and packs of 10 are currently available
- MSD: VAQTA Paediatric is available
- Sanofi Pasteur: Avaxim Junior singles are currently available
Hepatitis B vaccine
Adult
- GSK: Engerix B PFS singles and packs of 10 are currently available
- GSK: supply of Fendrix is currently available
- MSD: HBVAXPRO 10μg is available
- MSD: HBVAXPRO 40μg is available
- Valneva: PreHevbri is no longer marketed in the UK
Paediatric
- GSK: supplies of Engerix B Paediatric singles are currently available
- MSD: HBVAXPRO 5μg is available
Combined hepatitis A and B vaccine
- GSK: Twinrix Adult singles and packs of 10 are available
- GSK: Twinrix Paediatric is currently available
- GSK: Ambirix is available
Combined hepatitis A and typhoid vaccine
- Sanofi: Viatim is now a discontinued product and no longer available for sale
Typhoid vaccine
- Sanofi: Typhim singles and packs of 10 are available
- Patientric: Vivotif is available
Rabies vaccine
- Valneva: Rabipur is currently available
- Sanofi: Verorab is currently available
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV)
- MSD: supply of Pneumovax 23 (PPV23) PFS is available
Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV)
- Pfizer: Prevenar 13 is currently available
- MSD: Vaxneuvance is currently available
Varicella zoster vaccine
- GSK: VARILRIX is currently available
- MSD: VARIVAX is available
- MSD: ZOSTAVAX is a discontinued product
Diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis (inactivated) vaccine
- Sanofi Pasteur: Revaxis is available
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (acellular) and poliomyelitis (inactivated) vaccine
- GSK: supply of Boostrix-IPV is currently available
- Sanofi: Repevax is currently available
MMR
- MSD: MMR Vaxpro is currently available
- GSK: Priorix is currently available
Meningitis ACWY vaccine
- GSK: Menveo is currently available
- Pfizer: Nimenrix is currently available
- Sanofi: MenQuadfi is available
Yellow fever
- Sanofi: Stamaril is available
Human papillomavirus vaccine
- MSD: GARDASIL has been discontinued
- MSD: Gardasil 9 is currently available
- GSK: Cervarix has been discontinued
Cholera vaccine
- Valneva: Dukoral is available
- Patientric: Vaxchora is available
Japanese encephalytis vaccine
- Valneva: Ixiaro is available
Meningococcal group B vaccine
- GSK: Bexsero is currently available
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib vaccine and poliomyelitis
- GSK: Infanrix IPV+Hib is currently available
Hib + meningococcal group C combined vaccine
- GSK: Menitorix is currently available
Live attenuated rotavirus vaccine
- GSK: Rotarix is currently available
Herpes zoster vaccine
- GSK: Shingrix is currently available
Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis
- Sanofi: Adacel is available to order without restrictions
Dengue tetravalent vaccine
- Takeda: Qdenga is currently available
Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine
- Pfizer: Abrysvo is currently available