Seasonal flu: Record supply expected; FluMist approved for 2-4 year olds; Data shows low coverage in past

In what is becoming an annual tradition, CDC announced last week that a record supply of seasonal influenza vaccine is expected to be available for the approaching flu season. Once again, however, barring a massive increase in the number of Americans seeking the vaccine, millions of doses will very likely go unused.

As this AP story reports, current estimates are for 132 million doses to be available this year, an increase over last year's total of 121 million doses (itself a record). Despite the vaccine being recommended for 218 million Americans, 18 million doses were not used last year and were destroyed. Here's more coverage from CIDRAP News and the Washington Post.

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Last Wednesday, FDA approved FluMist -- the only flu vaccine that is administered nasally -- for use in children between the ages of 2-5. Previously, the vaccine had been approved for those age 5-49. Here's the FDA announcement, coverage from CIDRAP News, and a particularly detailed story from the Washington Post.

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Last week's MMWR included several papers detailing flu vaccination coverage in recent seasons. Here's state-by-state data of adults 18 and older, children age 6-23 months, and early data on children age 6-59 months (reflecting the new ACIP recommendation of June 2006). The editorial notes for all three papers explain that the observed vaccination rates are well below CDC goals.

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In related news, CDC announced a new-and-improved seasonal influenza website available at www.cdc.gov/flu/. The site contains extensive information for health professionals and the general public about the virus, prevention, and treatment.