Autumn is fast approaching! It is time to begin thinking about flu shots

The outbreak of the influenza epidemic occurs worldwide …usually in the winter months. Dr. Kauffman recommends that everyone is vaccinated.

The “Flu” is an acute respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. The outbreak of the influenza epidemic occurs worldwide …usually in the winter months. Dr. Kauffman recommends that everyone be vaccinated. However, those people who are at most risk, i.e. those patients whose immune system has been compromised, the very young and those patients age 65 and over should be given priority.

The currently available injectable influenza vaccines are inactivated preparations of either whole virus or subvirion components (“split product”). Split product vaccines cause fewer reactions in children and should be used in children 12 years of age or younger.

 

The dosing schedules for influenza vaccine differ by age, see the table below.

Age	Product*	Dose	No. of doses	Route
6 to 35 months	Split virus only	0.25 mL	1 or 2	IM
3 to 8 years	Split virus only	0.50 mL	1 or 2	IM
9 to 12 years	Split virus only	0.50 mL	1	IM
13 years	Whole or split virus	0.50 mL	1	IM

 

• Split virus vaccines may be labeled as “split,” “subvirion,” or “purified-surface-antigen” vaccine.

• Whole virus vaccine is not available in the United States.

• Fluzone (Aventis Pasteur) is FDA approved for persons 6 months of age; Fluvirin (Evans Vaccine) is only approved for those 4 years of age.

• For adults and older children, the recommended site of vaccination is the deltoid muscle. The preferred site for infants and young children is the anterolateral aspect of the thigh.

• Two doses administered at least 1 month apart are recommended for children <9 years of age who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time.

The intranasally administered live-attenuated influenza vaccine FluMist was licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for healthy individuals 5 through 49 years of age in June, 2003.

Adults should be given one dose of the intranasal vaccine. It is recommended that children between the ages of five and eight years, who had never previously received either the inactivated or intranasal preparation, be given two doses of FluMist ten weeks apart.