INFLUENZA (SEASONAL)

Diseases

Popular Resources

Influenza (Seasonal)

2012-2013 Flu Season
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants to remind providers to continue immunizing children against flu, during this very active flu season!

The CDC states 49 out of 54 territories are reporting regional or widespread flu activity. The best defense against flu is to receive a season influenza vaccination. It can take up to 2 weeks after receiving an influenza vaccination to be fully protected.

Influenza Vaccine Supply

Despite concern that influenza vaccine supply is low, there should be adequate vaccine product available nationally, to immunize your patients. Regional shortages may be experienced, but there is still vaccine that can be purchased. While vaccine is available, it may not be in the formulation a practice usually uses, and it may take a few days to arrive.

The National Influenza Vaccine Summit has re-opened its Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System, a resource for physicians looking to purchase influenza vaccine. This tool contains information from approved, enrolled, and participating wholesale vaccine distributors or manufacturers of US licensed influenza vaccine. Information on the site will be updated throughout the 2012-2013 influenza vaccination season.

In case you are a provider having difficulty finding influenza vaccine in your area, the CDC has reported that the Food Drug Administration is currently allowing providers with an excess of doses of influenza vaccine to sell their private-stock influenza vaccine to providers who are seeking such vaccine. This practice is usually prohibited, and the exception is only allowed with private-stock vaccine, not with Vaccines for Children vaccines.

Influenza Vaccination for Pregnant Women
The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Pharmacists Association, Associations of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, March of Dimes, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, National Influenza Vaccine Summit, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have collaborated to write a letter to health care providers, urging them to recommend influenza vaccine to all pregnant women. To view the letter, please click here.

The Disease

Almost every child gets the flu (influenza) from time to time. The flu is caused by a virus and usually occurs from October through May. The rates of infection are highest among children, and flu symptoms can last a week or longer. For most people, the flu can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills, muscle aches, and fatigue. Some people (especially those who have other illnesses) can get much sicker, and can develop symptoms such as high fever or pneumonia. On average, about 36,000 people die each year from influenza.

The Immunization

There are two types of seasonal influenza vaccine: inactivated (killed) vaccine which is given by an injection (shot), and live attenuated (weakened) vaccine that is sprayed into the nostrils.

Because influenza viruses are always changing, scientists work every year to match the viruses in the vaccine to those most likely to cause flu that year. It is recommended that everyone older than 6 months receive flu vaccine. Children younger than 9 years old who have never received a flu shot need to receive 2 doses of vaccine at least 1 month apart. The live attenuated vaccine that is given as a nasal spray should not be given to children under 2 years of age, children with asthma, children on long-term aspirin treatment, or children younger than 5 who have experienced wheezing in the past year.

National Influenza Vaccination Week

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond. NIVW 2012-2013 will be December 2-8, 2012. Visit the CDC's NIVW page for more information.

Immunizing Parents (Cocooning)
An AAP Technical Report, Immunizing Parents and Other Close Family Contacts in the Pediatric Office, discusses benefits and barriers to immunizing family members in the pediatric office, in order to protect infants and young children against disease.

AAP Vaccine Recommendations