Influenza

INFLUENZA (FLU)

Influenza or "flu" is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Syptoms often start with a sudden onset of fever, and may include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, body aches and nausea.  While people 65 years and older, young children, and people with certain health conditions are at higher risk of serious flu complications than the active-duty population, severe cases can occur unpredictably among active duty personnel as well. Also, because it can spread quickly, influenza outbreaks can adversely impact Navy force readiness and mission execution.

Resources on this page provide policy, guidance, and best practices for the prevention of influenza for military members and beneficiaries.

Seasonal vaccination is the primary control measure to reduce the risk of severe influenza and mission degradation, minimizing the risk to force. Department of Defense (DoD) policy mandates that all Active Duty and Reserve Component personnel be immunized against influenza annually.

Policy and Guidance

• DoDI 6205.02  DoD Immunization Program
• BUMEDINST 6230.15B Immunizations and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases
• NAVADMIN 250/23 2023-2024 NAVY INFLUENZA VACCINATION AND REPORTING POLICY
• Defense Health Agency-Procedural Instruction 6025.34: Guidance for the DOD Influenza Vaccination Program

• DHA-IHD 2023-2024 Seasonal Influenza Resource(s)
• AFHSD routine surveillance reports:  Subscribe by emailing dha.ncr.health-surv.list.ib-alert-response@health.mil
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Influenza (Flu) Overview
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report  A weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by the Influenza Division. All data are preliminary and may change as more reports are received.
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): FluVaxView (Interactive- Dashboards and Estimates) Monitor coverage for recommended vaccinations across the country helps CDC assess how well local areas, states, and the nation are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
• ESSENCE Webpage: Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics is a tool that enables the user to conduct syndromic surveillance, quickly identifying and describing new and emerging threats, potential outbreaks and other public health concerns

Publications and Products

• Defense Health Agency Information Paper: Influenza Infection and Influenza Vaccines
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccine: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices- United States, 2023-2024 Influenza Season
• ESSENCE Dashboard(s)- Dashboards are available within ESSENCE to supports the early identification and detection of potential threats for end users to be able to successfully conduct surveillance for multiple platforms within the area of responsibility at a glance to support and expand surveillance activities to ease the process of monitoring and identification of specific trends whether annually, monthly, weekly, or seasonally. The dashboards can be designed to meet command/unit or installation intent, enabling a quick analysis of potential threats occurring within a population. This capability allows for early detection, leadership awareness and implementation of best practices to prevent potential disruption and/or degradation to mission efforts and readiness.

 
**Please contact your respective Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit (NEPMU) at https://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-and-Marine-Corps-Force-Health-Protection-Command/Field-Activities/ for consultative support.**
 
Training Resources

• Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Training
  • JKO Course Number DHA-US069: This course was designed to help provide military and civilian health care personnel with important and comprehensive information concerning the influenza vaccine. It is designed to prepare health care personnel to administer influenza vaccinations and perform required administrative tasks in support of the DOD and USCG's Influenza Vaccination Program. This curriculum includes five training modules and a quiz. It is designed to meet seasonal influenza vaccination training requirement for medical personnel administering influenza vaccinations.

Note: If you previously took influenza vaccination training through the CDC’s You Call The Shots Goes to CDC website, that meets this requirement and there is no need to retake training in JKO. Those who previously enrolled in the JKO training but did not complete it will be automatically re-enrolled in the current module released on 21 Sept 2023.

• Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Cold Chain Management for Logistical Personnel
  • JKO Course Number DHA-US070; JKO flu storage and handling training: This course was designed to help provide non-clinical personnel (i.e., pharmacy, logistics, and support staff) with important and comprehensive information concerning storage and handling of the influenza vaccine. It is designed to prepare healthcare personnel with handling of the influenza vaccinations and perform required administrative tasks in support of the DOD's Influenza Vaccination Program. This course is current for the 2023-24 influenza season.