Some healthcare professional organizations issue evidence-based vaccination guidance for their patient populations. They include the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP), and others. To better support vaccination providers and educators who rely on our resources, at the end of December 2025 Immunize.org launched two new pages to connect with healthcare professional organization guidance in the new Healthcare Professional Organizations section on our website.

In this section, you will find links to:

• Healthcare Professional Organization Recommended Schedules: this web page displays current immunization schedules published by healthcare professional organizations for their patient populations
• Healthcare Professional Organization Vaccine Recommendations searchable database sorted into two tabs:
  • Comprehensive Recommendations: this tab lists broad recommendations for a specific population, such as those who are immunocompromised
  • Vaccine-Specific Recommendations: this web page displays a searchable listing of recommendations published by healthcare professional organizations for the population they serve

These new pages are intended to help you make well-informed clinical decisions about vaccination by offering easy access to evidence-based clinical guidance. Visit Immunize.org's Healthcare Professional Organizations to view these two new web pages. 

On December 16, CDC adopted ACIP’s December 5 recommendations as its guidance on HepB vaccination of infants born to mothers who test negative for the hepatitis B virus (HBV). CDC now recommends individual-based decision-making (also known as shared clinical decision-making, or SCDM) for parents deciding whether to give HepB vaccination, including the birth dose, to infants born to mothers who test negative for HBV. For infants born to mothers who test positive for HBV or whose status is unknown, CDC continues its long-standing recommendation to give HepB vaccination and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) at birth as post-exposure prophylaxis. For infants who did not receive the birth dose, CDC recommends the initial dose be administered no earlier than age 2 months. 

No new evidence presented to ACIP changed the longstanding balance of risks and benefits of infant HepB vaccination and prevention of HBV infection in any infant, meaning that this balance continues to clearly favor vaccination as early as feasible in light of the high risk of lifelong infection resulting from exposure to HBV during infancy. Mother-to-child exposure represents only one potential source of infant infection.

CDC’s public statement accepting this recommendation also noted that it is still reviewing ACIP's secondary recommendation that parents consult with their healthcare provider about the possibility of serologic testing of infants before completing the recommended HepB series. Therefore, this ACIP recommendation is not an official CDC recommendation.

All federal and private insurance programs will continue to offer HepB vaccination with no out-of-pocket expense for all families. This includes entitlement programs such as the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC), the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance plans through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a statement affirming its longstanding recommendation to maintain universal hepatitis B vaccination of all infants, beginning with a birth dose administered within 24 hours of life, as shown on the AAP immunization schedule.

• HHS: CDC Adopts Individual-Based Decision-Making for Hepatitis B Immunization for Infants Born to Women Who Test Negative for the Hepatitis B Virus (12/16/25)
• Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Hepatitis B main page

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As of December 31, CDC reported 2,065 confirmed measles cases in 2025 in 43 states, with Connecticut reporting its first case. Of reported confirmed cases, 88% were outbreak-associated. 

• As of January 2, South Carolina reported 188 confirmed cases, with 185 linked to an ongoing upstate outbreak
• As of December 30, Utah reported 156 confirmed cases, most related to the outbreak along its border with Arizona
• As of December 13, Arizona reported 205 confirmed cases, most related to the outbreak along its border with Utah

CDC only requires reporting of laboratory-confirmed measles cases. Cases without laboratory testing for confirmation are not included in these numbers. Actual numbers of cases are, therefore, higher than confirmed case counts.

In November, the Region of the Americas, previously the only region in the world to achieve measles elimination, lost its measles elimination status because Canada lost its elimination status. Ongoing measles outbreaks in the United States that have persisted for close to a year now place the country at risk of losing its elimination status in early 2026 (officially achieved in 2000). Mexico is also on track to lose its measles elimination status.

The HistoryofVaccines.org website, produced by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, published a blog post on November 10 with a thorough explanation of how measles elimination status is determined, lost, and can be re-established.

A map of 2025 measles cases in the United States, as of December 31, from the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center, appears below. Their U.S. Measles Tracker website includes state and county-level data.

Immunize.org offers measles-related resources for the public on several of our affiliated websites:

• VaccineInformation​.org: Measles web page
• LetsGetRealAboutVaccines​.org: Measles web page
• Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Measles main page

Related Links

• AAP: Fact Checked: The Measles Vaccine Is Safe and Effective web page
• CDC: Measles Cases and Outbreaks main page
• CDC: Be Ready for Measles toolkit
• Health Canada: Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Outbreak Response Innovation: Measles Outbreak Response main page
• Immunize.org: Vaccines A–Z: Measles main page

An epidemic spike in influenza activity is driving the overall increase in respiratory virus activity reported nationwide. Getting vaccinated now can help reduce the risk of severe illness, complications, and hospitalization.

Nationally, for the week ending December 20:

• Seasonal influenza activity increased sharply across the country, with high or very high influenza-like illness (ILI) reported in 32 jurisdictions
• There were 5 influenza-associated deaths reported during week 51, for a total of 8 reported pediatric influenza deaths so far this season
• RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the county
• COVID-19 activity is increasing from low levels

This season’s dominant influenza strain, a subtype A/H3N2 virus referred to as subclade K, is antigenically drifted from the A/H3N2 virus selected for the vaccine. Early reports from England indicate that vaccination remains an effective tool protecting against hospitalization (70%–75% reduced risk in children, 30%–40% reduced risk in adults).

Level of Respiratory Illness Activity
CDC monitors respiratory illness activity using an acute respiratory illness (ARI) metric. The ARI metric measures emergency department visits for a wide range of causes of acute respiratory illness, with or without fever, including the common cold, as well as influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. It offers a more complete picture than the influenza-like illness (ILI) metric used in past seasons. However, for the week ending December 20, because the level of ILI is driving the burden of ARI, the CDC ILI map is displayed below.



Emergency Department Visits for Viral Respiratory Illness
The illustration below shows the proportion of emergency department visits (ranging from 0 to 10 percent) associated with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. The horizontal axis shows trends from October 2024 into December 2025 for the three diseases, including the sharp increase in influenza-related visits.



Other CDC Respiratory Illness Resources

• CDC's Respiratory Illness Data Channel shows state and county level data on respiratory viral activity, associated ED visits, and presence in wastewater.
• CDC's Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shows vaccination rates by age group. Examples include:
  • Adults 18+ Flu Vaccination Coverage figures show that as of December 6, 129.8 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed in the United States compared to 142.9 million doses at this same time last year
  • Adults 18+ Flu Vaccinations Administered (IQVIA) figures show that as of November 29, an estimated 30.9 million doses of flu vaccine were administered in community pharmacies (about 2.1 million fewer than by this time last year) and an estimated 16.7 million doses were administered in physicians' medical offices (about 0.9 million fewer than by this time point last year)

Related Links

• CDC: Weekly National Flu Vaccination Dashboard main page
• CDC: FluView main page
• CDC: RESP-NET main page
• CDC: FluVaxView main page
• 65+ Flu Defense website