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 are already 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 new recommendation was cheered by Alissa Kanowitz of New York City, the mother of a 4-year-old girl who died from the flu in 2004.

"It's too late for us to do anything for Amanda now. But hopefully this will help other children," said Kanowitz, 37, a member of a group called Families Fighting Flu.

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

The panel considered encouraging all Americans to routinely get flu shots, but committee members narrowly defeated the proposal.

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 flu-like illnesses in such children.

Typically the committee looks for evidence that such a measure would reduce deaths and hospitalizations. But in this case, they gave heavy consideration for reducing visits to doctor's offices and emergency rooms.

About 180 million Americans are in population groups currently recommended to receive flu vaccinations, and yet manufacturers are expecting to throw away some of the 100 million doses produced for this current flu season.