Immunizations - Smallpox

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Children 6 months to 8 years of age, who have not been previously vaccinated, whose status is unknown, received only 1 dose the previous year, or did not receive at least one dose of influenza A (H1N1) should be given 2 vaccine doses, spaced 4 weeks apart.
It should be noted that if an individual develops flu symptoms and is accurately diagnosed in time, vaccination of the other members of the household within 36 - 48 hours affords effective protection to those individuals.

In healthy adults, immunization typically reduces the chance of getting the seasonal flu by about 70 - 90%. The current flu vaccines may be slightly less effective in certain patients, such as the elderly and those with certain chronic diseases. Some evidence suggests, however, that even in people with a weaker response, the vaccine is usually protective against serious flu complications, particularly pneumonia. Some evidence suggests that among the elderly, a flu shot may help protect against stroke, adverse heart events, and death from all causes.

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Because the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine is so new, there is not a lot of data about its effectiveness to prevent this strain of the flu. However, studies of the vaccine before it was released showed that people formed antibodies to the H1N1 flu in a similar manner to the regular or seasonal flu.

Candidates for the Flu Vaccine

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC recommend regular or seasonal flu vaccinations for all healthy children ages 6 months to 18 years (inclusive).

In its 2010 guidelines, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) recommends that all persons (healthy as well as higher risk) 6 months of age or older receive annual flu vaccination unless otherwise contraindicated. This expands the previous recommendations to include all healthy non-pregnant adults ages 18-49.

The following, in order of priority, are the adult population groups who should be vaccinated with the regular or seasonal flu vaccine each year as they are at slightly higher risk for complications. Any person not mentioned in these categories below is still recommended to get the vaccine to avoid the flu. The groups below have the highest need for flu vaccinations and are given top priority: