CDC Says Senior Citizens Not Only Ones Needing Flu
Shots; This Year Everyone Needs One
Policy change from past years, when government
focused on vaccinating people in ‘high-risk’ groups
Aug. 23, 2010 – Senior citizens will, again, need
to get a flu shot this year, but, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), so will everyone else over six months of
age. This year’s vaccine is designed to protect against H1N1 and two
other strains of seasonal flu.
The recommendation represents a break from past
years, when the government focused on vaccinating people in certain
“high-risk” groups and those in contact with people at high risk.
“The message is simple now,” said
David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, pediatrics and
epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “If
you’re more than 6 months of age, get the vaccine.”
“In an average year, there are more than 200,000
hospitalizations and more than 35,000 deaths from flu. Many of those
would be preventable by simply getting the flu shot,” said Weber. “Flu
shots are far and away the best way for preventing flu.”
The flu kills more than 35,000 people in the United
States in an average year—and most of those deaths could be prevented
with a simple vaccine.
The
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel that set the recommendation
for universal vaccination cited last year’s H1N1 outbreak—which affected
many young, healthy people not traditionally considered to be at high
risk for complications from flu—as part of the reason for the change.
In addition, the list of conditions that put a
person at high risk has grown so much over the years that many people
are unaware of their high-risk status. Universal vaccination is expected
to better protect individuals and the population as a whole.
People should receive the vaccine every year as
soon as it becomes available, said Weber. “It’s important every year.
This year it may be more important because anybody who didn’t get H1N1
last year is susceptible to it, and since that was the first year H1N1
was around, many people, if not most people, are susceptible.”
The vaccine is reformulated each year to provide
protection against the virus strains that present the greatest public
health threat for that year. People who contracted H1N1 last year may
have a lower chance of contracting it again this year, but they should
still receive the vaccine for protection against seasonal flu.
Adults need only one dose of the vaccine. Children
6 months to 8 years old may need two doses, depending on which vaccines
they received last year.
The vaccine will be available at doctor’s offices
and at many pharmacies as both a nasal spray and as a shot. The shot is
recommended for people younger than 2 or older than 49, and people with
a suppressed immune system. The nasal spray is appropriate for most
other healthy people.
Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways.
Although epidemics of flu happen every year, the timing, severity, and
length of the epidemic depends on many factors, including what influenza
viruses are spreading and whether they match the viruses in the vaccine.
Last flu season (2009-2010) saw the emergence of the
2009 H1N1 influenza virus (previously called "novel H1N1" or "swine
flu"). This virus caused the first influenza pandemic (global outbreak
of disease caused by a new flu virus) in more than 40 years. While not
certain, it is likely that
2009 H1N1 viruses will continue to spread along with seasonal
viruses in the U.S. during the 2010-2011 flu season.
Will new strains of flu circulate this season?
Flu viruses are constantly changing so it's not
unusual for new flu virus strains to appear each year. For more
information about how flu viruses change, visit
“How the Flu Virus Can Change.” While not certain, it is likely that
2009 H1N1 viruses and seasonal viruses will cause illness in the
U.S. during the 2010-2011 flu season.
When will flu activity begin and when will it
peak?
The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can
vary from season to season. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S.
in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can occur as late
as May.
What should I do to prepare for this flu season?
CDC recommends a yearly
flu vaccine for everyone as the first and most important step in
protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different
flu viruses, the flu vaccine is designed to protect against the three
main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness
during the flu season. The
2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three different flu
viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus that
caused so much illness last season. Getting the flu vaccine soon after
it becomes available each year is always a good idea, and the protection
you get from vaccination will last throughout the flu season.
How effective is the flu vaccine?
The effectiveness of the vaccine can vary and
depends in part on the match between the viruses in the vaccine and flu
viruses that are circulating in the community. If these are closely
matched, vaccine effectiveness (VE) is higher. If they are not closely
matched, VE can be reduced. During well-matched years, clinical trials
have shown VE between 70% and 90% among healthy adults. For more
information about vaccine effectiveness, visit
“How Well Does the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Work?”
•