Enhanced Flu Shots Preferentially Recommended for Seniors

As the 2022-2023 flu season approaches the USA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reaffirmed their recommendation today that most people above the age of six months get an annual flu shot.

And for the first time, the CDC expressed their preference for which vaccine works better for seniors.

This is an essential recommendation since influenza infections disproportionately impact the 65+ population.

The CDC estimates between 70% and 85% of seasonal flu-related deaths occur in seniors.

Separately, New Jersey-based Sanofi announced today that Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent and Flublok® Quadrivalent influenza vaccines were among the preferentially recommended flu shots for adults 65+.

These enhanced vaccines were identified in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — United States, 2022–23 Influenza Season, issued on August 26, 2022.

The ACIP flu vaccination guidance will ensure the high-risk population of adults 65+ are immunized with the vaccine best suited for their needs, says Sanofi.

Michael Greenberg, MD, MPH, North America Medical Head of Vaccines at Sanofi, commented in today's press release, "We remain committed to ensuring adults 65 and older have access to flu vaccines, demonstrated to protect them from what matters, such as flu-related hospitalizations due to cardiovascular events and pneumonia."

"While the ACIP's guidance is a good first step, as a leader in flu vaccines, we believe more can be done to provide healthcare providers with additional guidance." 

Furthermore, the CDC says that people who do little or no physical activity are more likely to get very sick.

The CDC maps show significant disparities in levels of inactivity by location.

For example, regionally, states in the South (27.5%) had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity.

The lowest rate of inactivity was 17.7% (Colorado) and the highest was 49.4% (Puerto Rico).

Everyone has a role to play in increasing physical activity.

Learn more about strategies to increase physical activity and get involved in Active People, Healthy Nation, the CDC's national initiative to help 27 million people become more physically active by 2027.

Additional flu shot vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Flu.

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