Influenza Vaccination Recommendations: (Updated August 2, 2007)

Influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2007-2008 flu season were released by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 29, 2007. The recommendations included several updates including the following:

• ACIP reemphasized the importance of providing 2 doses of influenza vaccine to all children 6 months through 8 years of age if they had not previously received Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) (doses separated by >6 weeks) or Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (TIV) (doses separated by >4 weeks). Children in this age range who received only 1 dose in their first year of vaccination should receive 2 doses the following year.
• ACIP reiterated a previous recommendation that all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or transmitting influenza to others, should be vaccinated.
• ACIP emphasized that immunization providers should offer influenza vaccine and schedule clinics throughout the flu season.
• ACIP recommended that health-care administrators measure health-care worker (HCW) vaccination rates as part of their patient safety quality program and implement policies to encourage HCW vaccination.

Influenza Vaccination Target Groups

Per the ACIP, vaccination is recommended for any person who wishes to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill with influenza or transmitting influenza to others should they become infected. When there is limited vaccine supply, the ACIP recommends a focus on vaccinating all persons at risk for medical complications from influenza as well as household contacts and caregivers for persons at high risk for influenza-related complications.

The following groups should receive influenza vaccine annually:

• all persons aged 50 and older
• residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities
• women who will be pregnant during the influenza season
• adults and children who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
• adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV) and close contacts of these adults and children
• adults and children who have any condition (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders) that can: increase the risk of aspiration or compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions
• healthcare workers and providers including p hysicians, nurses, and other workers in acute and outpatient-care settings, including medical emergency-response workers (e.g., paramedics and emergency medical technicians) and students in these professions who have contact with patients
• employees of nursing homes, assisted living, and other long-term care facilities who have contact with patients or residents
• healthy household contacts including children and caregivers of: children aged <59 months, adults aged >50 years, and persons with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza. Please, vaccination is recommended for breastfeeding women who are contacts of infants or children <59 months of age. Breastfeeding is not a contraindication to flu vaccination.
• all children aged 6 through 59 months
• children and adolescents (aged 6 months through 18 years) receiving long-term aspirin therapy

Use of inactivated influenza vaccine or live attenuated influenza vaccine (nasal-spray flu vaccine) is encouraged for eligible persons every influenza season, especially for persons in recommended target groups. When inactivated vaccine is in short supply, use of LAIV is especially encouraged for eligible persons including health-care workers to increase availability of inactivated vaccine for those persons in groups at high risk that are not eligible to receive LAIV.

Additional details regarding these recommendations can be found in “Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2007”, which can be found here.

Influenza Vaccination Resources