CDC panel advises US elders to receive upgraded flu vaccines

According to a federal advisory group, standard flu shots don’t offer seniors 65 and older enough protection, so they should obtain newer, stronger vaccines.
A number of flu vaccines that may provide greater or longer protection for seniors, whose compromised immune systems don’t respond as effectively to conventional doses, were unanimously approved by the panel.
Fluzone High-Dose, Fluad with an immunity booster, and Flublok, which uses insect cells rather than chicken eggs, are among the options.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention often adopts the panel’s recommendations, making them the government’s policy for American physicians and their patients. For the first time, the government would recommend flu shots for senior citizens.
As of right now, according to American officials, everyone in the country should receive an annual flu vaccination.
Flu shots are often less effective than other routine immunizations, but elderly have frequently experienced particularly poor results. According to health professionals, there is compelling evidence that several of the new vaccines are more effective in older persons, particularly in preventing flu-related hospitalizations. However, research is scant, and little has been done to compare the three new variants.
Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University, a panellist, stated, ‘These influenza vaccines are improved, but they are still not the home run that we would want to have.’
The new shots are becoming popular. According to officials, the high-dose immunizations are given to over 80% of Medicare patients each year. The new versions can cost up to three times as much as conventional flu vaccinations, although insurance plans usually cover them.
If the more recent vaccines are not available, the panellists advised seniors to get routine flu injections.
The flu vaccine didn’t perform all that well this past winter, when the majority of illnesses were brought on by a flu strain that immunizations typically do a relatively poor job preventing against, according to CDC authorities, who also announced this on Wednesday. When it came to preventing flu symptoms severe enough to necessitate seeing a doctor, the vaccine was 35% effective. In children, it was about 44% effective, while in adults, it was lower.