BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) — A panel of U.S. federal vaccine advisers recommended Wednesday that all children aged from six months up to 18 In U.S. should be immunized every year against influenza. The panel agreed that new recommendations should go into effect as soon as possible, but no later than the 2009-2010 flu season.
Currently, the recommendation is that children 6 months to 5 years of age get vaccinated.
Based on current vaccination rates, the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine matters predicts about 7 million additional children will be vaccinated because of the expanded recommendations.
”Each season, many children remain vulnerable to the consequences of not being vaccinated against influenza,” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. Carmona said in a prepared statement.
Flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of the population each year and kills an estimated 36,000 Americans in an average year, most of them elderly. It can also kill young children, often previously healthy children.
Last year, 68 children died of flu in 26 states during a very mild influenza season, according to reports compiled by the CDC. Of them, 39 were aged 5 to 17 and more than 90 percent of all the children who died had not been vaccinated.
Babies aged 6 months to 2 years have a very high risk of complications and death from flu, but only 20 percent were vaccinated against influenza in 2006-2007.
(Agencies)
Flu shots recommended for all U.S. kids 6-18 months old
