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Infectious Diseases A-Z: Influenza Vaccine update for 2017-2018
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The latest influenza vaccine update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a good reminder that it soon will be time for annual flu shots. Dr. Robert Jacobson, a pediatrician with Mayo Clinic, says, “The latest recommendations from the CDC reaffirm that all of us are at risk for catching and spreading the flu, and all of us should get our flu shot this fall. Very few of us cannot get the vaccine. Our getting the vaccines protects them, too.”
Influenza vaccine recommendations for the 2017-18 season include these updates and changes:
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Afluria Quadrivalent and Flublok Quadrivalent are now available for patients 18 and older.
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FluLaval Quadrivalent may be given to children as young as 6 months. Previously, administration was limited to children 3 and older.
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Pregnant women may receive any age-appropriate flu vaccine that is approved and recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- FluMist Quadrivalent should be not should not be used during the 2017–2018 season due to concerns about its effectiveness against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses in the U.S. during the 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 influenza seasons.
The CDC continues to recommend vaccination for all people aged 6 months and older without contraindications, preferably by the end of October. For those aged 65 and older, the CDC says standard-dose or high-dose vaccine is acceptable.
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