CHICAGO - Perhaps within five years, the government is likely to recommend annual flu shots for every American not just young children, the elderly and other at-risk people, public health advocates predict. The government panel that sets U.S. vaccine policy already has begun discussing “universal immunization” as a way to boost vaccination rates and reduce flu-linked sickness and death, Dr. Scott Harper of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a vaccine meeting this week.The end of a chaotic season where many people seeking flu shots were turned away because of a shortage might seem an odd time to broach the idea of vaccinating even more people.
