The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the recommendations for the upcoming influenza season.   The same three flu strains that circulated last year are expected again this year.  

Dr. Carolyn Bridges, associate director for adult immunizations, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, says people will still need to get a flu shot, because levels of protective antibody against influenza viruses can decline over the course of a year.  Dr. Bridges says this is especially true for the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and others who could be susceptible to complications of the flu.

Children ages 6 months to 8 years usually need two doses of the flu vaccine, at least four weeks apart, to get the best protection. But since the flu strains this year are expected to be the same as last year, the CDC says  a child may only need one dose of 2011-12 vaccine, as long as they had at least one dose of the 2010-11 vaccine.

Dr Bridges says vaccination levels for health care workers have increased but have still not reached national health objectives.  Rates overall were 63.5%, with coverage of 84% among physicians and 70% among nurses. But the CDC recommends all workers in health care settings be vaccinated.

Dr. Bridges says influenza vaccination protects the health care worker and reduces the risk that a patient may be exposed to the flu through contact with a health care worker.  She says when vaccination is required at a health care facility; the vaccination rate was 98%.  It fell to 56% in facilities were it was not required.  However, they found in health care workplaces where vaccination was not mandatory, rates went up when the  vaccine was offered on site at the work place, free of charge with opportunities offered more than one day.

Dr. Bridges says vaccination rates among pregnant women are just below 50%. She says pregnant women, and children less than 6 months of age, are known to be at higher risk for severe illness from influenza.  She says vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the risk in the mother as well as decrease the risk of influenza and influenza hospitalization among infants in the first six months of life.  Flu vaccinations are not available for children under six months of age.

Dr. Bridges says women whose medical providers offered them a flu vaccine were five times more likely to get vaccinated. But she says 4 out of 10 pregnant women did not receive an offer for a vaccination from their health care provider.