The recommendation, which is expected to be formally adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would be one of the largest expansions in flu vaccination coverage in U.S. history since the 1940s. It would include around 30 million more children eligible for vaccination, although current vaccination rates suggest that only about 7 million would actually receive the shots.
Though the shots would not be mandatory, but the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said all children should start getting vaccinated as soon as possible. The flu season generally starts in the fall and continues through spring.
Since the vaccination has CDC approval, it would also cover it under insurance. The flu vaccine would also be distributed through the government's Vaccines for Children program, which covers about 45 percent of the nation's youth.
Current recommendations call for vaccination of children between 6 months and 5 years. The new recommendation raises the age range to 18 years old. The committee emphasized that children under 9 who are receiving their first vaccination should therefore receive two doses.
Last year, 68 children died of the flu in 26 states monitored by the CDC; 39 of the children were between the ages of 5 and 17. So far this season, 22 have died. Vaccination among infants between 6 months and 2 years was about 75 percent effective in preventing influenza hospitalizations during the last two flu seasons.
Though the vaccine does not provide complete protection because the flu virus mutates continually still the committee emphasized that children under 9 who are receiving their first vaccination should therefore receive two doses.
