Pressroom
AAP Advises Flu Vaccines for All Kids This Year, Not Just At-Risk Groups
Source: Reuters Health Information Services
By: Saunders, Robert
08/30/2010
A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics published in the online version of Pediatrics recommends that all children age six months and older—not just those in at-risk groups—and their caregivers should receive the trivalent seasonal flu vaccine. The report urges vaccination, given that the 2009 pandemic flu likely will circulate during the 2010-2011 flu season. The trivalent seasonal flu vaccine will include the A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like antigen (derived from the 2009 pandemic influenza A [H1N1] virus); A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like antigen; and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like antigen. While only one dose will be necessary for children age nine years and older, dosage history for seasonal flu and H1N1 will determine whether one or two doses are needed for younger children.
