As Arizona enters another respiratory virus season, physicians will once again navigate patient questions surrounding influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization. In an environment of evolving recommendations and competing information, access to rigorous, transparent evidence is essential to informed clinical decision-making.
The Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), in collaboration with the American Medical Association (AMA), recently completed an independent review of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies published since August 2025. The findings indicate that currently recommended immunizations continue to provide substantive protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death, with no new safety concerns identified in the comparative studies reviewed.
For Arizona physicians, these findings provide a timely evidence base for clinical discussions as the 2026–2027 respiratory season approaches. Immunization decisions should continue to reflect the best available scientific evidence, individual patient characteristics, clinical risk, and physician judgment.
This is also an important moment for organized medicine. When public confidence in health information is challenged, physicians need access to credible evidence and patients need clear, trustworthy guidance. Medical societies have an important role in facilitating access to high-quality scientific resources while preserving physician autonomy and clinical judgment.
For the Maricopa County Medical Society (MCMS), sharing these resources with our physician membership is consistent with our responsibility to serve as a trusted source of timely medical information. Ultimately, this is about more than vaccines. It is about maintaining confidence in medicine through scientific rigor, transparency, physician expertise, and informed patient decision-making.
We encourage our physician members to review the full evidence review, supporting resources, and current professional recommendations:
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JAMA Network Respiratory Season Virus Vaccines – Full Article
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Consolidated respiratory virus immunization recommendations | AMA
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Preliminary Estimated Flu Disease Burden 2025-2026 Flu Season | Flu Burden | CDC
The AMA, in collaboration with leaders from the Vaccine Integrity Project, AAFP, AAP, ACOG, and IDSA, will also host a webinar on September 23 for clinicians addressing the evidence-review process, key findings, and the latest respiratory virus immunization recommendations.