MDHHS recognizes National Influenza Vaccination Week Dec. 4-8

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Hello Immunization Partners,

Please share the following information with providers in your jurisdiction.

This is a reminder that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Division of Immunization is recognizing this week, December 4 through December 8, 2023, as National Influenza Vaccination Week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual influenza vaccination for all persons ages 6 months and older with rare exceptions. According to data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, as of December 2, 2023, approximately 2.4 million people in Michigan have received their flu vaccine for the 2023-2024 flu season, which is 60.1% towards the state’s goal of reaching 4 million doses of flu vaccine administered this season.

For people 6 months through 64 years, CDC recommends any age appropriate flu vaccine available during the 2023-2024 flu season. Options for this age group include inactivated flu vaccine, recombinant flu vaccine or live-attenuated flu vaccine  (ages 2 through 49 years).

For people 65 years and older, three flu vaccines are preferentially recommended. These are quadrivalent high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV4 or Fluzone), quadrivalent recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV4 or Flublok), or quadrivalent adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV4 or Fluad).  If none of these three vaccines are available at an opportunity for vaccine administration, then any other age-appropriate influenza vaccine should be administered.

Vaccination is particularly important for individuals at higher risk of developing serious flu complications, including young children, adults ages 65 years and older, people with certain chronic medical conditions and pregnant persons. Some children ages 6 months through 8 years will need two doses of flu vaccine this season to be fully protected.

We encourage our partners to visit MDHHS’s Influenza Resources for Health Professionals for valuable 2023-2024 flu vaccine information and links to the Pediatric and Adult Influenza Webinar: 2023-2024 Flu Season recording and slide deck.

Thank you for all you do!

Your Immunization Outreach and Education Team,
Alyssa, Andrea, Dianne, Heidi, Lisa, and Sarah