The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that children 6 to 23 months of age be vaccinated annually against influenza. Previously, ACIP encouraged rather than recommended vaccination for children in this age group, when vaccination was feasible. For children younger than 9 who were not previously vaccinated, two doses of inactivated influenza vaccine should be administered more than one month apart. If possible, the second dose should be administered before December.
Vaccination is not recommended for children younger than 6 months of age, and the current inactivated influenza vaccine is not approved for use among children 6 months and younger. Live attenuated intranasal vaccine is approved only for healthy people ages 5 to 49 years. Children younger than 5 years should not receive this vaccine.
For more information about recommendations for influenza immunization, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web site at: www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm and choose references and resources on the left navigational bar. ACIP recommendations and links to applicable Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports are available on this page as well as information on vaccine supply, infection control, diagnosis, treatment, and patient education materials.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that children 6 to 23 months of age be vaccinated annually against influenza.
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