The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) strongly
recommends vaccination for people who are at a higher risk of complications from a bout
with the flu.
These groups include:
- Residents
of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
- Adults
and children who have asthma, or chronic lung or cardiovascular disorders
- Adults
and children with chronic metabolic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, kidney and
blood disorders, or immunosuppression, including those caused by medications
- Children,
up to 18 years old, who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy, which may increase their
risk of developing Reye syndrome
- Women
who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season.
In mid-September 1999, the American
Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) announced it was lowering its recommended age
for flu vaccination from 65 years old to 50. In doing so, the AAFP is going beyond the
guidelines laid down by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the most
widely accepted national authority on immunization |
