From the Schools and Programs of Public Health

Influenza is a contagious respiratory virus with the potential to cause serious illness and death, particularly in children younger than 5 years of age.1 The influenza vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing infection and spread of the disease.2 In the United States, annual epidemics of influenza occur from late fall to early spring, with the peak of cases occurring in February,3 prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to emphasize expanding the influenza vaccination season past the fall months to January and later.4 The national children’s (,18 years of age) influenza immunization rate for the 2010–2011 season was 46.2%,5 well below the 80% vaccination goal of Healthy People 2020.6 To combat low immunization rates, CDC’s Community Guide recommends various evidence-based practices and provider interventions.3 One method of delivering evidence-based education to practicing physicians is through academic detailing, a form of continuing education that has been shown to be an effective method for reaching providers.7