US flu summit for vaccine issues

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association is planning a national influenza summit meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss issues arising from the 2007-2008 flu vaccination campaign in order to identify lessons to be learned for the next season. The summit has been called soon after the CDC admitted that the most recent immunization effort was less successful than hoped for, due to problems selecting the correct strains for the seasonal flu vaccine (Marketletter April 28).

The conference will consider the following areas for discussion: vaccine supply for the 2008-2009 influenza season; vaccine strain growth; increasing coverage among health care personnel and other populations; maintaining and increasing the number of vaccine providers; implementing the new recommendations for school-aged children; the agent's safety; monitoring its distribution; and innovative projects and partnerships to increase vaccine coverage.