At a glance
During this COCA Call, presenters will provide an overview of the burden of influenza disease and discuss recommendations for influenza vaccination, testing, and treatment for people of all ages for the 2025-2026 season.
Overview
Influenza causes a significant burden on the health of Americans during most influenza seasons and remains a serious threat due to its potential to cause severe illness and death. Annual influenza vaccination for people aged 6 months and older is an important way to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications that can result in hospitalization and death. Testing for influenza virus infection can guide clinical management, including appropriate antiviral treatment, which is particularly important for people at higher risk for progression to severe disease from influenza—regardless of influenza vaccination status. During this COCA Call, presenters will provide an overview of the burden of influenza disease and discuss recommendations for influenza vaccination, testing, and treatment for people of all ages for the 2025-2026 season.
Webinar
Thursday, December 11, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 PM ET
A few minutes before the webinar begins, please click this link to join.
Presenters
Tim Uyeki, MD, MPH, MPP
Chief Medical Officer
Influenza Division
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Lisa A. Grohskopf, MD, MPH
Medical Officer
Influenza Division
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Call Objectives
COCA Call Objectives
At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to accomplish the following:
- Cite background information on the topic covered during the presentation.
- Discuss CDC's role in the topic covered during the presentation.
- Describe the topic's implications for clinicians.
- Discuss concerns and/or issues related to preparedness for and/or response to urgent public health threats.
- Promote health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention in cooperation with patients, communities, populations at higher risk, and other members of an interprofessional team of healthcare providers.
Activity-specific Objectives
- Highlight key recommendations in the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' document, "Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2025–26 Influenza Season."
- Describe influenza testing recommendations in outpatients and in hospitalized patients with suspected influenza.
- Review antiviral medications for influenza and CDC's recommendations for antiviral treatment of patients with suspected or lab-confirmed influenza.
Additional Resources
- Influenza (Flu) Information for Health Care Providers | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
- ACIP Recommendations Summary | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
- Clinical Guidance for Influenza Vaccination | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
- Overview of Influenza Testing Methods | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
- About Influenza Antiviral Medications | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
Continuing Education
Instructions for Obtaining Continuing Education (CE)
To receive continuing education (CE) for WC4520R-121125—2025 – 2026 Clinical Recommendations for Seasonal Influenza Prevention and Control, please visit CDC TRAIN and search for the course in the Course Catalog using WC4520R-121125. Follow the steps below by January 12, 2026. The registration code is COCA121125.
To receive continuing education (CE) for WD4520R-121125—2025 – 2026 Clinical Recommendations for Seasonal Influenza Prevention and Control, please visit CDC TRAIN and search for the course in the Course Catalog using WD4520R-121125. Follow the steps below between January 13, 2026, and January 13, 2028.
- Register for and complete the course.
- Pass the post-assessment at 75%.
- Complete the evaluation.
- Visit Your Learning to access your certificates and transcript.
Accreditation Statements
CPE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated this Knowledge-based event for pharmacists to receive 0.1 CEUs in pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number is JA4008229-0000-25-063-L04-P and enduring JA4008229-0000-26-004-H04-P
CME: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
AAPA CME: Credit Designation Statement – Live The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
CNE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this activity for 1 nursing contact hours.
CEU: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is authorized by IACET to offer 0.1 CEUs for this program.
CECH: Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES®) to receive up to 1 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced level continuing education contact hours available are 1. Continuing Competency credits available are 1. CDC provider number 98614.
AAVSB/RACE: This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for 1 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however, participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education.
For Certified Public Health Professionals (CPH): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a pre-approved provider of Certified in Public Health (CPH) recertification credits and is authorized to offer 1 CPH recertification credits for this program.
DISCLOSURE: In compliance with continuing education requirements, all planners and presenters/moderators must disclose all financial relationships, in any amount, with ineligible companies over the previous 24 months as well as any use of unlabeled product(s) or products under investigational use.
CDC, our planners, and presenters/moderators wish to disclose they have no financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
Content will not include any discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a product under investigational use with the exception of Dr. Lisa Grohskopf’s discussion of the CDC/ACIP influenza vaccination recommendations that include discussion of the unlabeled use of influenza vaccines in the recommendations for persons with a history of egg allergy and for solid organ transplant recipients aged 18 through 64 years. With regard to persons with a history of egg allergy, history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to the vaccine or any of its components (which include egg for certain vaccines) is a labeled contraindication to receipt of most trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV3s) and trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3). However, ACIP recommends that all persons aged ≥6 months with egg allergy receive influenza vaccine. Any influenza vaccine (egg based or non–egg based) that is otherwise appropriate for the recipient’s age and health status can be used. With regard to solid organ transplant recipients aged 18 through 64 years, the trivalent high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV3) and trivalent adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV3) are approved for persons aged ≥65 years. However, ACIP recommends that solid organ transplant recipients aged 18 through 64 years who are receiving immunosuppressive medication regimens may receive either HD-IIV3 or aIIV3 as acceptable options, without a preference over other age-appropriate IIV3s or trivalent recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV3).
In addition, content will not include any discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a product under investigational use with the exception of Dr. Tim Uyeki’s discussion that CDC recommends oseltamivir treatment for persons of all aged (FDA approval is for persons aged 14 days and older) and that CDC recommends oseltamivir treatment for hospitalized patients (FDA approval is for outpatients).
CDC did not accept financial or in-kind support from ineligible companies for this continuing education activity.
CDC complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sex. To learn more visit: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html
Additional Information
- Contact Information: coca@cdc.gov
- Support/Funding: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Emergency Risk Communication
- Method of Participation: You may participate in the educational activity by viewing the program information above.