CDC Advisory Committee Issues H1N1 Vaccine Recommendations - August 10, 2009

On July 31, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued recommendations on who should receive vaccine against H1N1, or swine flu.  The Committee recommends that the following groups receive the vaccine when it becomes available and that, if vaccine supply is limited, these groups receive priority according to the order in which they are listed:  1) pregnant women; 2) people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age; 3) health care and emergency services personnel; 4) persons between the ages of six months through 24 years of age and 5) people from ages 25 through 64 years who are at higher risk for novel H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.  The Committee has recommended that once these priority groups receive the vaccine, providers should offer vaccines to everyone from ages 25 to 65 and then to people over the age of 65.