New Flu Vaccine Recommendations
There are some big changes to the flu recommendations for the 2008-2009 flu season. One of the biggest is that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now recommends that all children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age should get an annual flu vaccine. Previously, it was only recommended that high risk older children should get a flu vaccine. Of course, younger children, between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, should continue to get a yearly flu vaccine. The flu vaccine recommendations again state that children who received only one dose of the flu vaccine during their first season of getting it still need two doses the following year. Remember, though, that this only applies to kids under age nine. The ACIP also says that:- anyone can get a flu vaccine, even if they aren't high risk, if they want to decrease their risk of getting the flu or getting other people sick
- kids can get their flu vaccine at any time during the flu season, although it would be best to get it before the flu season starts or as early in the flu season as possible
FluMist Update
Another big change that occurred in 2007 is that FluMist, the intranasal flu vaccine, was approved for kids as young as age two years old. Remember that it previously was only available to children five and older, which should make many preschoolers who weren't looking forward to a flu shot happy.When Should Your Child Get a Flu Shot?
In the past few years, because of the shortages and delays, you didn't have much choice over when you could get your kids vaccinated. Most parents simply tried to get their kids vaccinated as soon as they could. When there's a ready supply of flu vaccine, as there was last year and there is predicted to be this season, you'll want to get your child vaccinated before flu season starts or as early as possible during flu season. You could get your flu vaccine at any time, but the later you wait, the greater the risk that your child will catch the flu before he is protected by his flu vaccine. Keep in mind that a typical flu season usually begins in December, peaks in February, and may continue until March. The CDC recommends that children and teens should get their flu shot in September, or as soon as the flu vaccine becomes available. Ideally, if they don't get a flu vaccine in September, children should begin getting their flu shots by October or November. Since flu season is barely starting, with many areas still just seeing a low level of flu activity, it definitely isn't too late to get a flu shot if you haven't gotten one yet.Where to Get the Flu Shot
Your pediatrician's office is likely the best place to get your child's flu shot. But since many parents had problems finding flu shots for their kids in recent years, you might ask your pediatrician about his flu vaccine supply and immunization policy early on. If you are interested in getting your older child FluMist (to avoid a shot) or the preservative-free flu vaccine (to avoid thimerosal), you should also ask if your pediatrician will have them -- not all doctors do.2008-09 Influenza Vaccine Strains
The flu strains that will go around this year likely won't matter to you or your kids, as long as they match those covered by the flu vaccine. Here are the flu virus strains in this year's flu vaccine:- an A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus
- an A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
- a B/Florida/4/2006-like virus
Updated for the 2008-2009 flu season.
Source:
Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2008 - July 17, 2008. MMWR. July 17, 2008 / 57 (Early Release), 1-60.
