Influenza Vaccination Recommendations

Universal Vaccination

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual influenza vaccination for all persons 6 months of age and older, regardless of health status 1, 2, 3, 4
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention establishes a universal vaccination policy rather than targeting only high-risk groups, representing a shift from earlier risk-based approaches to comprehensive population coverage 5, 6

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends special effort to vaccinate children and adults with chronic pulmonary diseases, including asthma 1, 3, 4
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends special effort to vaccinate children and adults with metabolic diseases, including diabetes mellitus 1, 3, 4
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for all persons ≥65 years of age due to increased hospitalization and mortality risk 5, 6, 7
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccination for all children 6 months through 59 months, as children <2 years have elevated hospitalization risk 1, 2, 3, 5

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends vaccination for all pregnant women at any time during pregnancy to protect both mother and infant through transplacental antibody transfer 1, 3, 4, 8
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccination for all breastfeeding women, as vaccination is safe for mothers and infants 1, 4

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for all health care personnel to prevent healthcare-associated influenza infections 1, 3, 5, 4
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccination for all child care providers and staff 1, 3, 4

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that children have the highest attack rates during seasonal epidemics and serve as primary transmission vectors to household and community contacts 2, 4
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that school-aged children bear a large disease burden with significantly higher rates of influenza-related medical care compared to healthy adults 1, 2, 3

The American Academy of Pediatrics prefers inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) for all children as the primary choice 4
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinating as soon as vaccine is available, ideally by the end of October 9, 10
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that annual vaccination is necessary because immunity declines within one year 7

Any age-appropriate inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV4) is suitable for adults and children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 11
Children aged 6-35 months may receive FluLaval Quadrivalent at 0.5 mL per dose or Fluzone Quadrivalent at 0.25 mL per dose, as recommended by the CDC 12
Children <9 years receiving influenza vaccine for the first time require 2 doses separated by ≥4 weeks, as stated by the American Academy of Pediatrics 13, 14

All persons with chronic medical conditions, including those with pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus, should receive vaccination, according to the CDC 11
Pregnant women may receive any licensed, recommended, age-appropriate influenza vaccine, as recommended by the CDC 12
Vaccinate as soon as vaccine is available, ideally by the end of October, to ensure optimal protection, as recommended by the CDC 15, 12

Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is NOT recommended due to low effectiveness against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in recent seasons, as stated by the CDC 15, 12
Healthcare personnel, including physicians, nurses, and nursing home staff, should receive vaccination to prevent healthcare-associated influenza infections, as recommended by the CDC 11