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Flu Vaccine: Unsure for Elderly, Right for Kids

By Eric Sabo

Recommendations to vaccinate the elderly against the flu may be based on an overly optimistic view of how well the vaccine works, a study suggests. Out of a large group of seniors who were given flu shots, the biggest reductions in hospitalizations and deaths were before the start of the influenza season, implying that current vaccines offer less protection than believed.

Yet researchers do not call on older people to skip annual flu shots. Instead, they urge increased vigilance to keep the potentially deadly virus in check, such as by vaccinating children first.

By Eric Sabo

Recommendations to vaccinate the elderly against the flu may be based on an overly optimistic view of how well the vaccine works, a study suggests. Out of a large group of seniors who were given flu shots, the biggest reductions in hospitalizations and deaths were before the start of the influenza season, implying that current vaccines offer less protection than believed.

Yet researchers do not call on older people to skip annual flu shots. Instead, they urge increased vigilance to keep the potentially deadly virus in check, such as by vaccinating children first.

"The elderly should continue to get vaccinated," said Dr. Lisa Jackson of the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington, who led the study. "But if you can prevent others from ever coming into contact with the flu, that is a better way to stop it."
Children tend to get the flu earlier than everyone else because school settings act as natural incubators for spreading germs. In fact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinating both children between 6 months and 5 years-old and adults 65 and older.
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