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Medical societies are doubling down on recommendations for flu vaccines for the upcoming 2026–2027 season, which starts around the beginning of October. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), for example, is reinforcing its recommendations for flu vaccines for all children ages 6 months and older without contraindications, as published this week in Pediatrics. AAP specifically notes in a separate press release that the vaccines have been thoroughly studied and are safe for children. For the waning 2025–2026 respiratory virus season, 191 pediatric influenza deaths have been reported, yet vaccination coverage remains low, according to AAP, with 49.4% of children ages 6 months–17 years vaccinated. Separately, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in its 2026 Maternal Immunization Schedule recommends influenza vaccination during pregnancy, preferably by the end of October. The American Academy of Family Physicians and Infectious Diseases Society of America continue to support universal annual influenza vaccination but do not appear to have issued any comparable new 2026–2027 flu-specific policy statements.
For older adults: In the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new mRNA seasonal flu vaccine for use in all adults 50 years and older. It is the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, according to manufacturer Moderna in a press release. In the phase 3 trial of more than 40,000 adults aged 50 years and older, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the new vaccine showed 26.6% relative efficacy compared with the conventional flu vaccine. The product is expected to be available for eligible populations in the United States in time for the upcoming 2026-2027 season.