Revisiting the influenza vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared the decline in preventable diseases through vaccination to be 1 of the 10 great public health achievements in the past decade in the United States. Still, influenza epidemics occur every year in the United States and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. A substantial portion of the US population chooses not to get vaccinated against influenza despite the illness and death associated with the disease. Low rates of vaccination are of particular concern in high-risk patients. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has broadened its influenza vaccine recommendations to include all individuals older than 6 months. Education of patients about the value of influenza vaccination will help to increase vaccination rates.