Revised ACIP Recommendations for 2010-2011 Influenza Season
3/1/2010
The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to expand the recommendation for the 2010-2011 annual influenza vaccination period to include all people 6 months of age and older. Next season’s vaccine will be trivalent (with 3 different vaccine viruses) and will include an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus. The H1N1 virus recommended for inclusion in the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccine is the same pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus used in the 2009 H1N1 monovalent vaccine. The universal vaccination recommendation is intended to protect people in higher-risk groups who are unaware of their risk factor as well as to stress the importance of influenza vaccination. It also points out the importance of protecting people 19 to 49 years of age who were hard hit by the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus, as well as the likelihood of continued circulation next season and beyond. Previous recommendations centered only on vaccinating those in higher-risk groups (eg, children 6 months to 18 years of age and close contacts of higher-risk persons), which includes approximately 85% of the US population. Although more doses will be needed to vaccinate all adults, there are more licensed types and brands of seasonal influenza vaccines available for the 2010-2011 season. ACIP recommendations will become Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations once they are accepted by the CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services and published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.