U.S. expands group recommended for flu vaccine

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U.S. officials who just weeks ago worried that the nation’s flu vaccine supply would run short said on Friday they are expanding the group of people who should get the vaccine so that doses do not go to waste.

Anyone over age 50, or people in close contact with those at high risk of flu complications, should be added to priority groups starting Jan. 3 in areas with enough vaccines, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee said.

Until then, priority should continue to be given to people age 65 and older, under age 2, pregnant or with a chronic condition such as diabetes or AIDS, officials said.

“In some places, health departments and private providers currently do not have enough demand from people in those priority groups. We don’t want those doses to go to waste,” CDC Director Julie Gerberding said in a statement.

The CDC estimates that 185 million Americans are in the higher risk categories, but many do not get vaccinated.

In an average year, influenza kills 36,000 people and puts 200,000 in the hospital in the United States.

The influenza season usually peaks in February. So far, relatively few people have been stricken.

“However, it is still early and the timing and level of influenza activity is unpredictable. The level of reported influenza activity can change at any time,” the CDC statement said.

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