Social Seniors Benefit From Multiple Flu Shots

Although social participation is highly recommended for older adults to maintain physical function and mental health, it also increases the risk of contact with infected people.

A recent study is the first to examine the association between social participation and influenza infection among seniors.

This study of people over age 65 reported unvaccinated women who participated in two or more social activities were 2.20 times as likely to report an influenza infection, as those who reported no social participation.

In contrast, women who had a flu shot and participated in two or more social groups reported no additional influenza risk, as compared with females with no social participation.

Among men, participation in social activities was not significantly associated with influenza infection, regardless of vaccination status.

A strength of this study is based on cross-sectional data, which do not allow determination of causal relationships between influenza infection and social participation. The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) project is one of the largest cohort studies of social determinants of health among Japanese adults aged ≥65 years.

Previous research found older adults who participate in social activities have better self-rated health, lower risks of disability, functional decline, mobility decline, depression, generalized anxiety disorders, cognitive decline and dementia, and longer lifespans.

Additionally, research published in 2017 reported that seniors should consider getting a flu shot each year, as there seems added protection with sequential yearly shots.

This research published in Canadian Medical Association Journal, said when older adults had repeat influenza vaccinations, they experienced reduced virus severity and fewer hospitalizations.

In comparison with patients who were unvaccinated in the current and 3 previous seasons, influenza vaccination in the current and any previous season was 31 percent effective in preventing admissions to hospital for non-severe influenza.

Additionally, the estimates of effectiveness were higher for preventing admission to the ICU because of influenza and for preventing death.

Vaccination that occurred only in the current season did not show significant protection against severe influenza.

"Because severe cases of influenza may be prevented by 2 mechanisms, the effectiveness of vaccination against severe influenza may be greater than that for mild cases, and the benefit of influenza vaccination may be greater than that estimated in previous studies.

It's hard to know which flu shot is best for seniors.

But, a recent clinical trial reported the superiority of non-egg based flu vaccines over the traditional egg-based quadrivalent inactivated vaccine.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that Seniors (50+) given Flublok® Quadrivalent were over 40% less likely to develop culture-confirmed influenza.

Flublok was reported to contain three times more active ingredients than traditional vaccines and produced significantly higher immune responses to the A strains of influenza, especially H3N2, according to a study.

Furthermore, Flublok Quadrivalent is the first and only high antigen-content quadrivalent flu vaccine that, with its high efficacy, makes it ideal for older adults and those with a compromised immune system.

Most pharmacies in the USA offer several FDA approved flu vaccines.

The flu shot cost varies depending on your insurance and which state you live. The CDC Vaccine Price List provides the private sector vaccine prices for general information.

Flu vaccine discounts can be found here.