CDC recommends flu jab for children up to 18

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice has greatly expanded the population of people it's recommending for an annual flu shot. The group is urging parents to make sure everyone aged six months to 18 has an annual jab, well beyond the six month to five-year time frame that has applied. The recommendation adds a population of 30 million young people to the list of people who should get a vaccination.

For the vaccine industry, the recommendation is likely to significantly boost demand for the annual flu shot. The industry distributed 132 million doses for the current flu season, though most were ineffective against the varieties of flu in circulation in many states. The flu has been widespread this year, affecting most of the country.

The advisory group hopes that by expanding the number of young people who get a flu shot, they can reduce the massive amount of time parents and children spend at the doctor's office and reduce the amount of antibiotics that are used to control complications from the flu.

"I think it's a great idea because we know that young children are often the first to introduce influenza into a community," says Dr. Anita Barry, director of communicable disease control for the Boston Public Health Commission.

- read the article in the New York Times
- and here's the report from the Boston Globe

ALSO: Presented with evidence that a combination vaccine made by Merck was linked to a higher rate of fever-related convulsions, the advisory panel also withdrew its preference for the combined therapy over two separate shots. Report

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Flu jab missing the mark in seasonal campaign

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

There's growing evidence around the U.S. that the flu jab offers only marginal protection against the seasonal ailment. In Texas, doctors say this year's flu vaccine guarded against less than 30 percent of all flu viruses. The vaccine, which is revised every year to make it as effective as possible, usually works against 70 percent to 90 percent of all the viruses in circulation. Across the country, physicians are reporting an efficacy rate of around 50 percent. Lower response rates are likely to generate a large crop of misery.

"If this vaccine is not working as well as we'd hoped, it has the makings of being one of the worst years for flu," Dr. R. Doug Hardy, infectious disease specialist at Children's Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center, told the Dallas Morning News.

- read the report in The Dallas Morning News

ALSO: WHO is recommending a whole new flu vaccine for next season after seeing the virus mutate unexpectedly. Report

PLUS: And the FDA brought together a large group of flu specialists this week to do just that. Report

Related Articles:
Vaccines miss their mark in seasonal flu campaign. Report
Universal flu vaccine shows early promise. Report

Flu Jab

CDC recommends flu jab for children up to 18

Flu jab missing the mark in seasonal campaign