Why Older People Need Stronger Flu Vaccines

Dr. Barbara BowerA primary care physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center told Healthline that adults over the age of 65 should get more flu vaccines. dose.

Dr. Philip KadajMichigan-based internist and JustAnswer medical expert.

Bawer added that increasing flu vaccination doses for those 65 and older is necessary to prevent influenza transmission and reduce the chances of becoming severely ill and requiring hospitalization. increase.

Experts suggest that the time has come for stronger doses of vaccines.

However, according to A. Investigation According to the National Infectious Diseases Foundation (NFID), more than half of U.S. adults may be considering skipping their flu shot this year.

Experts say that’s the problem.

They note that influenza vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent illness and severe symptoms.

And over the last few years we’ve seen lower than average Recorded flu levels, change is coming rapidly.

Bower says that if you want to know how the flu is trending this season, you can look at countries in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia.

Australia is a predictor of what happens in the United States, Bower says. worst flu season in 5 years.

Kadaj said he agreed with predictions of a severe flu season and expects flu cases to return as the severity of COVID-19 infections declines and people travel more.

“As COVID-19 becomes milder and there is an effective vaccine against COVID-19, flu cases should start to rise,” he says. “We expect flu cases this year to reach or approach pre-pandemic levels.”

Bawer recommends people over 65 get the flu vaccine By the first week of November at the latest, ideally by the last two weeks of October. Getting vaccinated sooner than this may reduce immunity by the end of the season.

“If you get vaccinated now, you’ll get enough vaccine strain protection to cover the peak flu month and one to two months at any given time,” Bawer explains.

Bawer describes the impact pandemics have previously had on influenza incidence.

She said the post-2020 mask mandate will make people pay more attention to using hand sanitizer and washing their hands more often and thoroughly, which will reduce flu rates overall. said that he did

And people are more cautious about attending public gatherings, including holidays, so the number of flu cases hasn’t been as high in the past two years.

“This is both great and problematic,” says Bower. “It’s great, of course. It means people are healthier from a flu standpoint, but it also means there’s a lot less, or very little, data about the types of flu strains out there. increase.”

“But now mask mandates are gone (mainly except in healthcare settings). People are tired of avoiding loved ones and missing out on common events while on vacation,” she said. “The combination of the two would likely have serious consequences.”

Experts say you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster at the same time you get your flu shot.

“When the pandemic first started, the COVID-19 vaccine was brand new. We didn’t have enough information to know what kind of side effects to expect,” says Bawer. “Therefore, we recommended having a window between the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines to give people time to demonstrate side effects and learn what to expect.”

“It’s been over two years since the pandemic and we’re getting that information now,” she noted. “In many ways, this is no different than having multiple booster vaccines at once or having multiple vaccines during a child’s checkup.”

Kadaj agrees, saying the two injections together are perfectly fine, but warns that patients may experience more side effects.

According to Kadaj, common and temporary symptoms from vaccines include:

• body pain
• heat
• cold
• muscle pain

“cause [for caution] These patients are just taking more antigens/immunostimulators at one time,” he says.

For example, someone might react to the flu or COVID-19 vaccine, but when they are combined, the reaction is stronger and more likely, he says.

Nonetheless, he says getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and flu is the best way to protect yourself and your community from serious illness.