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Physicians should no longer delay vaccinating elderly patients against seasonal influenza until October or November, but instead encourage all patients aged 6 months and older to get immunized as soon as vaccine is available in their community, an official with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.
Medical epidemiologist Carolyn Bridges, MD, associate director for science in the agency's influenza division, said during a nationwide telephone conference call with clinicians that contrary to past CDC guidance, seasonal influenza vaccine offers effective protection throughout the entire influenza season, even for the elderly.
The rationale for waiting until later in the influenza season to immunize elderly patients was that earlier vaccination might give them less protection in January and February, when most infections have occurred during recent seasons. Maximizing protection is important, as aging decreases the body's immune response to the influenza vaccine.
The protection offered by the vaccine begins to wane after 1 year, but until then, it works just fine, said Dr. Bridges."We used to recommend holding off on vaccination, particularly for the elderly and nursing home residents, but really, there's no evidence that waiting until October or November is beneficial at all in terms of effectiveness," said Dr. Bridges. "So in the last few years, we've changed the recommendation. There is no need to hold off on vaccinating high-risk patients."
Distribution of the 2010 to 2011 seasonal influenza vaccine, which contains a strain of last year's pandemic H1N1 virus, is now underway, with supplies showing up in commercial pharmacies. Dr. Bridges said vaccine manufacturers will turn out 160 million doses this season, which is "plenty of vaccine for everyone who wants to be vaccinated."
This quantity is larger than what is normally available, but more is needed in light of the CDC's recommendation this year of universal vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older, said Howard Koh, MD, assistant secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, during the conference call.
Get your seasonal flu shot today. For more information on seasonal influenza or clinic locations contact Loup Basin Public Health Department at 1.866.522.5795 or click HERE for a complete list of clinics in your area.
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