This update includes information about:
 New website for Whatcom County
 Free Adult Immunization Clinic
 2015 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules
 2015 Adult Immunization Schedules
 Vaccine Orders and expiring vaccine
 Gardasil-9
1) Whatcom County has just launched a new website. It is much more modern and easier to find
necessary information. However, be aware that all previous links are broken including all
immunization links. The Immunization site is completely changed, so I encourage you to
explore and familiarize yourself with the site and contents.
Please remove the old links and update with these:
Whatcom County Website: http://www.whatcomcounty.us/
Immunization Program: http://wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/756/Immunizations-Shots
Whatcom County Health Department: http://www.whatcomcounty.us/360/Health-Department
2) WCHD and Bellingham Technical College are sponsoring a free Immunization Clinic for adults
who are uninsured or underinsured on 3/19/15, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Bellingham
Technical College. Please share this information with anyone who may be interested. Please
see the attached flyer for more information.
3) Recommended Immunization Schedules for Person 0 through 18 Years (Click here to print
schedules)
4) Recommended Immunization Schedules for Adults, United States, 2015 (Click here to print
schedules)
5) VACCINE ORDERS AND EXPIRING VACCINE
Please monitor expiration dates closely. Many providers are submitting off-schedule requests
now because of an early Hepatitis B vaccine expiration date. Putting just a couple boxes of
vaccine on an airplane and then on a UPS truck is a very expensive way to do business. Please
check expiration dates before ordering. The best practice is to move vaccines to a location
where more children are seen when vaccines are within 2-3 months of expiration. If something
will expire before your next order window, get replacement doses with the current order.
6) GARDASIL-9
The FDA licensed a new 9-valent HPV vaccine, Gardasil-9 (Merck), in December 2014. It is
available now for private purchase. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) will not make recommendations for its use until late February. The vaccine cannot be
added to the Childhood Vaccine Program until (1) the ACIP publishes a final recommendation
and (2) the vaccine is added to the CDC contract for the federal VFC Program.
More information:
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil_9/gardasil_9_pi.pdf.