It's a First: Universal Flu Vaccination (120 hits)
Last season, the world went through the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. And while the pandemic was less severe than many feared, millions of people in the United States became ill, hundreds of thousands were hospitalized, and thousands of people died.
This season, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and CDC have recommended universal influenza vaccination. This means that all persons, 6 months and older (without a contraindication to influenza vaccine) should be vaccinated. The recommendation seeks to remove barriers to immunization and signals the importance of preventing influenza across the entire population. It will ensure that the following important populations will get vaccinated:
•Healthy people 19-49 years of age. These people were not recommended for vaccination in previous influenza seasons, but they were unusually affected by the 2009 H1N1 pandemic; •People in previously recommended "high-risk" groups who are unaware that they have 1 or more risk factors; and •People who did not have a previous specific recommendation for vaccination but who are now identified as being at higher risk for serious flu-related complications.
While the vaccination recommendation is universal this season, it continues to be especially important that people at increased risk for serious flu complications get a flu vaccine including: •People 65 and older; •Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old; •Pregnant women; and •People with certain medical conditions, including asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.
In addition, data collected during the pandemic led to the establishment of new ACIP high-risk groups for influenza complications, including the following: •American Indians and Alaska Natives; and •Persons who are morbidly obese.
Providers should begin administering influenza vaccine to their patients when the vaccine becomes available and continue vaccinating into the winter and beyond. For additional information about influenza vaccination during the 2010-2011 season, please visit www.cdc.gov/flu.
