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AAP publishes recommendations for seasonal influenza vaccination
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The AAP recommends all individuals aged 6 months and older receive an annual seasonal influenza vaccination, according to a recent policy statement published in Pediatrics.
The statement echoes recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on seasonal influenza vaccination for the 2014-2015 season, which were established at the committee’s meeting in June and recently published in MMWR.
For the 2014-2015 season, the AAP reiterates the following:
- Influenza vaccine composition for the upcoming season remains unchanged from the 2013-2014 season;
- Trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccines are available in the United States for the 2014-2015 season;
- Immunization with either trivalent or quadrivalent vaccine is recommended annually and universally;
- Live-attenuated influenza vaccine should be considered for healthy children aged 2 to 8 years who have no contraindications or precautions to the intranasal vaccine. Vaccination should not be delayed if LAIV is not readily available, as the inactivated influenza vaccine can be used;
- The dosing algorithm for administering influenza vaccine to children aged 6 months to 8 years reflects that virus strains in this year’s vaccine have not changed from last season.
“As always, pediatricians, nurses, and all other health care personnel should be immunized themselves and should promote influenza vaccine use and infection control measures. In addition, pediatricians should promptly identify clinical influenza infections to enable rapid antiviral treatment, when indicated, to reduce morbidity and mortality,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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