Although this year’s vaccine against flu was largely ineffective, the five companies manufacturing influenza shots expect to make a record number of doses for next flu season. Therefore, they plan to make at least 143 million doses for the 2008-2009 season, which means 3 million more doses than the season just ended this month.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, it is recommended that certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious flu complications (such as children aged 6 months until their 5th birthday, pregnant women, people 50 years of age and older and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions) or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious complications.

October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but you can still get vaccinated in December and later. Flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Each vaccine contains three influenza viruses-one A (H3N2) virus, one A (H1N1) virus, and one B virus. How well the flu vaccine works depends on how well the match is between the influenza vaccine and the types of flu viruses that are circulating that year. Scientists try to predict what strains (types) of flu viruses are most likely to spread and cause illness each year to put into the vaccine.

Unfortunately two of the three strains for the current season were not good matches and the vaccine was only 44 percent effective overall, making this season the worst in four years in terms of adults dying from flu and pneumonia, the CDC said last month.

Despite concerns that demand may drop due to the ineffectiveness of the vaccine this year, the five flu vaccine manufacturers in the U.S. expect to make a record number of doses for the next year flu season, the Associated Press reported. Therefore, CSL Biotherapies will triple its production to 6 million doses from 2 million; Sanofi Pasteur Inc. is planning to make 50 million; Novartis Vaccines, 40 million; GlaxoSmithKline PLC, 35 million to 38 million; and MedImmune Vaccines Ins , about 12 million doses.

Health experts will discuss the 2008-2009 flu season next week in Atlanta at a national influenza vaccine summit hosted by the CDC and the American Medical Association.

Influenza is a serious disease and people of any age can get it. In an average year, the flu causes 36,000 deaths (mostly among those aged 65 years or older) and more than 200,000 hospitalizations in the U.S.