ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 18, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), convened state health officials for a deskside briefing focused on preparations for the upcoming respiratory virus season with a specific focus on seasonal flu, COVID-19, and RSV and how the nation can prepare. Officials underscored the importance, efficacy and safety of routine childhood vaccination in reducing the burden of respiratory illness as we head into a new school year.

"As we head into another respiratory virus season, state and territorial health agencies are doing what we do best: preparing early, watching the data closely, and working with our healthcare and community partners to keep people safe. Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools we have to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death from flu, COVID-19, and RSV," said Manisha Juthani, MD, ASTHO president and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, who moderated the discussion. "My message to families is simple: talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting your routine and seasonal vaccines, put them on the calendar, and know that public health agencies across the country are working hard, together, to protect your families and communities this fall."

"The overall lesson is that one size doesn't fit all. The way we try to put that into practice has to do with our work primarily, with trusted messengers," said Scott Harris, MD, MPH, ASTHO immediate past president and state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health. "We have changed the way that we try to educate physicians, nurses and pharmacists who are administering vaccines. We do want to give them information about what the data shows. We still want them to know this vaccine and this population is expected to produce this effect and avoid this bad outcome. Yet, we also want to tell them it's important to listen to people with empathy. It's important to ask why people are making the decisions that they're making."

"Our overall strategic approach is, one, keep the vaccine confident, confident but also to make sure the vaccine hesitant feel welcome," said James McDonald, MD, MPH, commissioner, New York State Department of Health and ASTHO board member. "Our threefold approach could really be simply said as we want to relate, we want to educate, we want to facilitate. We want to build relationships. We want to make sure we have earned the right to be heard, understand concerns. This really isn't a one size fits all solution. We really do try to relate with everybody and try to make sure people have respectful conversations."

"In Alaska, the bridges we are building in preparation for respiratory season include strengthening coordination with trusted communicators and partners throughout the state," said Robert Lawrence, MD, chief medical officer for the Alaska Department of Health. "That includes health care organizations, pharmacies, the Department of Corrections, and other partners. It is especially important that we work closely with tribal health organizations because they serve communities across Alaska, including many of our most remote areas. We have also built a strong immunization information system, VacTrAK, which helps support immunization efforts across the state."

View the recording of ASTHO's deskside briefing here.

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.

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SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials