The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get flu vaccine every year.

• Even healthy people can get the flu and it can be serious.
• This season, protect yourself - and those around you - by getting a flu vaccine.
• This year's seasonal flu vaccine will protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus.

People at High Risk for Serious Complications

While everyone - even healthy people - are at risk of getting the flu, certain people are at increased risk for serious complications from influenza.  These people include:

• children 6 months through 4 years (59 months) of age 
• adults 50 years of age and older
• those with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, neurologic, hematologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
• those who are immunosuppressed (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus)
• women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season
• children 6 months through 18 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who therefore might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection
• residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities
• American Indians/Alaska Natives
• those who are morbidly obese (body-mass index of 40 or greater)
• health care personnel
• household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 years and adults 50 years and older, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children younger than 6 months
• household contacts and caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza
  

Protect Your Baby From Serious Diseases

• Infants are especially vulnerable to complications from flu and pertussis (whooping cough). 
• It is very important to protect these vulnerable babies by vaccinating the people around them against influenza and pertussis. 
• This includes parents and caretakers, grandparents, siblings, babysitters and daycare workers, and health care personnel.

Downloadable versions of Immunization Brochures can be found at www.michigan.gov/immunize under "Immunization Brochures for the Whole Family"

Brochures can be ordered free of charge at http://www.healthymichigan.com/