Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2025–26 Influenza Season

This report updates the 2024-25 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) concerning the use of seasonal influenza vaccines in the United States. Routine annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have a contraindication to vaccination. Multiple formulations of the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV3s), trivalent recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV3), and trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3) are expected to be available for the 2025-26 influenza season. Updates for the 2025-26 season include 1) antigenic composition of 2025-26 U.S. seasonal influenza vaccines, 2) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of FluMist (LAIV3) for self-administration or caregiver administration, 3) FDA approval of a change in age indication for Flublok (RIV3) from ≥18 years to ≥9 years, and 4) a new ACIP recommendation that children aged ≤18 years, pregnant women, and all adults receive seasonal influenza vaccines only in single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative. A comprehensive summary of recommendations, including those discussed in this report, as well as previous recommendations concerning topics not addressed in this report and that remain unchanged for the 2025-26 season, is available at Influenza | ACIP Recommendations for Vaccination. Additional background information also is available at Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines.