Atlanta ? Children ages 2 to 5 should get flu shots, an advisory panel said Wednesday, widening the group of Americans urged to seek protection from a virus that kills thousands in this country each year.

The recommendation, which covers 5.3 million healthy U.S. children, was unanimously approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The panel’s advice is routinely adopted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues vaccination guidelines to doctors and hospitals.

Flu shots already are recommended for children ages 6 months to 23 months, pregnant women, people 65 and older, and people of all ages with chronic health conditions, along with a few other groups.

The committee also recommended routine vaccinations for in-home and out-of-home caregivers of children ages 2 to 5.

Research data shows the flu virus can put children with certain risky health conditions at grave risk of death or hospitalization. But scientists have debated how dangerous the flu is to healthy children older than 2, and how effectively vaccination prevents flu and flulike illnesses in such children.