{"id":2360,"date":"2010-09-28T17:00:05","date_gmt":"2010-09-28T21:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=2360"},"modified":"2010-09-28T17:00:05","modified_gmt":"2010-09-28T21:00:05","slug":"flu-immunization-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2010\/09\/28\/flu-immunization-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Flu Immunization Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fluIn response to lessons learned from the 2009-2010 H1N1 flu pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans age six months and older get a flu shot this season.<\/p>\n

Exceptions include people with egg allergies, people who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past, and infants younger than six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough it\u2019s never too late to get the flu shot, the earlier people get the vaccine, the better,\u201d said Anat R. Feingold, MD, Head of Cooper\u2019s Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease. \u201cImmunity will last well through the entire season,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The official flu season is September through March, but the flu tends to peak in December, January, and February.<\/p>\n

Dr. Feingold noted that data from last year showed that children were disproportionately affected by the H1N1 flu. \u201cIt\u2019s not always a mild illness,\u201d Dr. Feingold said, \u201cand we need to protect (vaccinate) every child we can because that\u2019s how we help protect the rest of the population, especially those who cannot be vaccinated or respond well to the vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pregnant women are another high-risk group for whom immunization is particularly important.<\/p>\n

According to Richard L. Fischer, MD, Head of Cooper\u2019s Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, \u201cPregnant women are far more susceptible to pneumonia and respiratory distress than non-pregnant women. Plus, studies show that by immunizing the mother, it creates antibodies that cross the placenta and protect the newborn child from infection during the first months of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Three-In-One Flu Vaccine<\/h3>\n

The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three viruses: an influenza A H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season. This three-in-one vaccine will be available as both a nasal spray, which contains the attenuated (weakened) virus, and as an injection (a shot), which contains the inactivated virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for people to realize that neither form of the vaccine \u2013 the nasal spray or the injection \u2013 gives people the flu,\u201d Dr. Feingold said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Fischer noted that the nasal spray is not recommended for women who are pregnant. \u201cPregnant women should receive the vaccine only by injection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Both Drs. Feingold and Fischer stressed that there is no risk of acquiring the flu from being immunized.<\/p>\n

Availability of this season\u2019s flu vaccine is predicted to be excellent.<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/h2>\n