The MMWR for April 30, 2010 / Vol. 59 / No. 16 includes:

Interim Results: State-Specific Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage — United States, August 2009–January 2010

[From CDC Media Release}

More Americans were vaccinated against seasonal flu during the 2009-10 season (40 percent of eligible population) than during the previous flu season (33 percent of eligible population), according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The greatest gain in vaccination rates was in children 6 months to 17 years. About 40 percent of children were vaccinated for seasonal flu last season, representing a 16 percentage point jump from the 2008-09 season.

There also was an increase in the percentage of healthy adults (people without a chronic health condition such as asthma or diabetes), aged 18–49 years old who were vaccinated against seasonal flu. Coverage in this group increased from approximately 22 percent in 2008-09 to approximately 28 percent for the 2009-10 season. Coverage remained stable among adults 18-49 years of age with chronic health conditions, all adults 50-64 years, and those 65 years and older.

“These results are encouraging,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “It’s now important that we build on this success next fall and winter. We want people, especially parents, to make getting a flu vaccination each year a regular habit”

Licensure of a High-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine for Persons Aged ≥65 Years (Fluzone High-Dose) and Guidance for Use — United States, 2010