US experts urge expanding flu vacc season

Health care professionals should increase influenza immunization rates by implementing key, practice-proven interventions and offering vaccine at every opportunity throughout the entire influenza season, conclude leading influenza experts in a July 2008 supplement to the American Journal of Medicine. The experts assert that the medical community is not taking advantage of routine office visits to immunize all recommended individuals against a disease that causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations and more than 36,000 deaths in the USA every year. This year, more people are recommended for influenza vaccination than ever before - nearly 250 million Americans.

Although the supplement contributors each emphasize different aspects of influenza immunization, all underscore the need for vaccine to be offered by health care providers from October through January and beyond. The recommendation supports guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is aimed at reducing influenza-related illness and death, particularly among high-risk populations such as children, the elderly and those with chronic conditions.