We are currently in the midst of a flu epidemic in Mumbai and India with thousands of cases and more than 1400 deaths! And this is the time, that we have a severe vaccine shortage! Talk about a double whammy!

So in these trying times, who should get priority on the few vaccines that are available?

As per the CDC (reproduced verbatim and modified to Indian context)

When vaccine supply is limited, vaccination efforts should focus on delivering vaccination to the following people (no hierarchy is implied by order of listing):

• Children aged 6 months through 4 years (59 months);
• People aged 50 years and older;
• People with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, neurologic, hematologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• People who are suppressed (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus);
• Women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season;
• People who are aged 6 months through 18 years and receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who therefore might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection;
• People who are residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities like old age homes or hospices;
• People who are morbidly obese (body-mass index is 40 or greater);
• Health-care personnel;
• Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 years and adults aged 50 years and older, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children aged younger than 6 months; and
• Household contacts and caregivers of people with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza.