The Washington Post. Section Navigation. In addition, some areas experienced local shortages of oseltamivir. Efforts have also been undertaken to develop universal vaccines that specifically activate a T-cell response, based on clinical data showing that people with a strong, early T-cell response have better outcomes when infected with influenza and because T-cells respond to conserved epitopes. The vaccine funded for the National Immunisation Program in Australia contains the two strains of Influenza A most commonly circulating and the two Influenza B strains.
In the United States, flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu can be a very serious illness, especially in young children, adults ages 65 and over, those with underlying health conditions, and pregnant women. Strains of the flu virus are constantly changing, so a new flu vaccine is made each year. Scientists make the vaccine before the flu season starts by predicting which flu strains are likely to be the most common during the upcoming season. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine and infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Epidemiology and Infection. Philadelphia: W. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommend yearly vaccination for nearly all people over the age of six months, especially those at high risk. Minus Related Pages. Both trivalent three-component and quadrivalent four-component influenza vaccines will be available. These figures are then used to assess the burden of illness averted by flu vaccines, i.