2008-2009 Flu Archive

The Florida Department Of Health Encourages Floridians To Get Ready For Flu Season

October 10, 2008 -- The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recognizes fall as the historical beginning of influenza (flu) season and urges Floridians who have not already done so to get their flu shots today. In Florida, the disease usually peaks in late January or February and continues through March. It is important to start vaccinating early and to continue flu vaccination throughout the winter months and beyond.

In the United States, influenza results in approximately 200,000 hospitalizations each year. Annually, over 36,000 people in the U.S. die from the flu, and most are 65 years of age or older. More people die from flu than from any other vaccine-preventable disease.

"Floridians still die from diseases that are easily prevented by safe and effective vaccines," said Charles Alexander, Chief of the DOH Bureau of Immunization. "Children, adolescents and adults should be screened for recommended vaccines at every medical visit."

Parents and caregivers can contribute to the safety and well-being of children by having them immunized. It is also important that adults, parents and grandparents who are in close contact with young children be immunized as well. Each year, over 20,000 children under five years of age are hospitalized from influenza. Children under two years of age are as likely to be hospitalized as adults who are 65 or older.

Top 3 reasons to get flu vaccine:

• Prevent influenza-related death
• Prevent severe illness
• Protect other people

Flu vaccine shipments are arriving in providers offices, and now is the time to arrange for your annual flu vaccination. The influenza vaccine is readily available this year, and all able individuals are encouraged to receive the vaccine. DOH also reminds all adults and adolescents that safe and effective vaccines are available to protect them against other potentially life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, shingles, measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox).

DOH promotes, protects and improves the health of all people in Florida. For more information on immunization and flu vaccination, visit the DOH website at www.immunizeflorida.org/flu/index.htm and www.immunizeflorida.org/flu/flu_locator.htm. For flu vaccine locations, contact a health care provider, a local county health department, or visit the American Lung Association's website at http://flucliniclocator.org/.

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Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2008

August 29, 2008 -- The Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Immunization announces publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2008 in the August 8 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Recommendations and Reports. 

This report updates the 2007 recommendations by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of influenza vaccine and antiviral agents (CDC. Prevention and control of influenza: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP]. MMWR 2007; 56[No. RR-6]).

The 2008 recommendations include new and updated information. Principal updates and changes include:

• A new recommendation that annual vaccination be administered to all children 5 through 18 years of age, beginning in the 2008-2009 influenza season, if feasible, but no later than the 2009-2010 influenza season.
• A recommendation that annual vaccination of all children 6 months through 4 years of age (59 months) continue to be a primary focus of vaccination efforts because these children are at higher risk for influenza complications, compared with older children.
• A new recommendation that either trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) or live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) be used when vaccinating healthy persons 2 through 49 years of age (the previous recommendation was to administer LAIV to persons 5 through 49 years of age).
• A recommendation that vaccines containing the 2008-2009 trivalent vaccine virus strains A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like, A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like, and B/Florida/4/2006-like antigens be used.
• New information on antiviral resistance among influenza viruses in the United States. 

These recommendations also include a summary of safety data for U.S. licensed influenza vaccines. This report and other information are available at CDC's influenza website, including any updates or supplements to these recommendations that might be required during the 2008-2009 influenza season.

The Recommendations can be accessed online at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5707a1.htm.

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Influenza Vaccine Information Statements for the 2008-2009 Season

The CDC released a new Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) and a new VIS for the live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV).

• VIS for TIV
• VIS for LAIV
• For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit the Immunzation Action Coalition's (IAC) VIS web section.

Please note: The bureau is not planning to print and stock the influenza VIS statements in the Distribution Center at this time. This decision is in light of current budget restraints, the ability of providers to print the quantity they need, and the low utilization of those stocked and subsequently destroyed in the Distribution Center each year.  

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2008 Florida Vote & Vax Campaign

July 30, 2008 -- The Department of Health, Bureau of Immunization is pleased to announce the 2008 Vote & Vax adult flu and pneumococcal immunization campaign. Vote & Vax efforts are held in conjunction with general elections. (Vote and Vaccinate)