American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Recommendations for Influenza Prevention and Control for 2026-27

Flu vaccines are expected to be covered by commercial insurance and available through the Vaccines for Children program as usual.

ITASCA, IL--The American Academy of Pediatrics in updated recommendations urges that all children age 6 months or older be vaccinated to prevent influenza, noting the severity of the past season that resulted in nearly 200 children’s deaths.

The policy statement and technical report “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2026-2027” will be available online Mon., August 10, and will be published in the September 2026 issue of Pediatrics.

“The good news is flu vaccines have been thoroughly studied,” said Kristina A. Bryant, M.D., FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID), which wrote the policy statement and technical report.

“We know they are safe in children and they can prevent not just hospitalizations and death but every year they prevent a substantial number of illnesses that result in trips to the doctor’s office. We want to keep kids healthy and going to school and parents healthy and going to work. Flu vaccines can help us accomplish that.”

Yet influenza vaccination coverage remained low during the 2025–2026 influenza season. Through May 16, 2026, only 49.4% of children 6 months through 17 years had been vaccinated, similar to the previous year.

The 2025-’26 season was another high severity season for children. There were 190 pediatric deaths, a toll that continues to rise due to delayed reports. Historically, about 85% of children who died of flu were not vaccinated.

A recent study in Pediatrics by CDC experts found that vaccines reduce the risk of children and teens dying from flu by 80%. In a separate analysis, the CDC estimates flu vaccines prevented nearly 15,000 hospitalizations and 245 deaths in children and teens in the 2024-’25 season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not released new flu vaccine recommendations for the upcoming season. The AAP and other medical societies are making evidence-based vaccine recommendations for the populations they serve. Flu vaccines in the upcoming season are expected to be covered by commercial insurance and available through the Vaccines for Children program as usual.

Policy statements and technical reports created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.  

For the 2026-27 flu season, the AAP recommends:

• Influenza vaccination for children without medical contraindications ages 6 months and older
• Any licensed influenza vaccine product that is appropriate for age and health status; AAP does not prefer one product over another.
• The number of influenza vaccine doses recommended for children remains unchanged in the 2026–2027 influenza season and depends on the child’s age at first dose administration and influenza vaccination history.
• Influenza vaccine should be offered to children as soon as it becomes available, especially to those recommended to receive two doses. The recommended dose(s) ideally should be received by the end of October for optimal protection before the influenza season.
• Influenza vaccination is recommended for pregnant individuals to benefit both them and their infants.
• Influenza vaccination of a breastfeeding parent provides protection to both the parent and the infant and is safe.
• Influenza immunization of immunocompromised patients are updated to align with evidence-based recommendations from other groups and professional societies.

The AAP’s flu season guidance also discusses treatment. Treatment with antiviral drugs is recommended for children with suspected or confirmed influenza who are hospitalized, have severe or progressive disease, or are at high risk for influenza complications. It also is an option in outpatient settings for children with suspected or confirmed influenza who are not at high risk for influenza complications if treatment can be initiated within 48 hours of illness onset.

Antiviral drug Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) will be available as a generic in the upcoming season, which may increase availability for children 5 years and older who are eligible. It is not recommended for hospitalized patients.