Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and a practicing internist, knows all too well that the number of people who get vaccinated against the flu typically drops after November. But flu viruses can circulate into February -- even into the spring and summer.

Between April and November 2009, the H1N1 virus infected more than 45 million Americans, resulting in more than 200,000 hospitalizations and nearly 10,000 deaths.

Pregnant women, health care and emergency medical service providers, children, young adults under the age of 25, and adults between the ages of 25 to 64 with an underlying chronic medical condition are at higher risk for serious H1N1 flu complications. It also is important for people who live with or provide care for infants less than 6 months old to be vaccinated.

Complications of H1N1 flu can include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.

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Search MedlinePlus.gov from the National Library of Medicine for a variety of resources about diabetes and vaccines.

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From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Take this quiz to find out which vaccines may be recommended for you, based on your personal health profile.

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This "Call to Action" from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and co-sponsored by the ACP outlines the importance of influenza vaccination in patients with diabetes.

Vaccination of those at increased risk for complications from influenza, such as adults and children with diabetes, is a key U.S. public health strategy for preventing associated morbidity and mortality. Despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and others to administer influenza vaccine annually to all persons with diabetes six months of age and older, influenza vaccination rates in this population remain low. In fact, more than ten million Americans with diabetes lack the protection afforded by a single annual influenza vaccination.

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