Health officials and advocates are hoping for better use of the flu vaccine this year following last year’s particularly dire season and reductions in the percentage of people getting the shot.
“I hope we have a mild flu season, and I hope we have one with maximum prevention,” Dr. William Schaffner, medical director at the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Health officials and advocates kicked off the flu season at the event, which is held every year to raise awareness about the dangers of the flu and to encourage people to get a vaccine. The government sets a goal of 80 percent of the public getting a flu vaccine, but last year, the rate was 57.9 percent, a slight drop from the 59 percent seen the year before that.
This year, more than 168 million doses are waiting to be administered. The vaccine is recommended to anyone who is six months or older, and is safe for pregnant women. Official guidance also recommends the pneumonia vaccine among adults who are 65 and older.
This flu season will have another option for protection. After a two-year hiatus following data showing it was ineffective, the nasal spray vaccine called FluMist is back on the market. Its manufacturer provided enough data to satisfy officials that it should be made available again, though fewer doses will be available than in previous years.
The nasal spray is particularly popular among children and adults who are afraid of needles.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said at the press conference that the goal for the coming flu season was not only to get more people vaccinated, but to make sure medical providers were recommending the vaccine.
Health officials are hoping to avoid the scenario seen last year. The season was particularly dire, driven by a flu strain that tends to send people to the hospital with grave illness. Federal data show that more than 80,000 people died from the flu and its complications, and an additional 900,000 were hospitalized. The flu’s symptoms include fever, chills, cough, runny nose, and vomiting, but they can worsen to pneumonia or a sinus infection.
Of the deaths from last year’s flu season, a record 180 were children and the majority of them were not vaccinated.
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The estimates recorded for all deaths are higher than those recorded during a severe season in the 1970s, but every year the number of deaths aren’t exact because flu isn’t always listed on a person’s death certificate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instead uses estimates gleaned through statistical models looking at hospital data, explained Daniel Jernigan, who is director of the influenza division for the agency.
Adding to the difficulties last year was that the vaccine wasn’t very effective in protecting people. Still, officials stressed Thursday that it can help illnesses from becoming more severe and can protect surrounding people who have weaker immune systems, including pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic heart conditions, those undergoing chemotherapy, or people with HIV/AIDS.
“Some effectiveness is better than no effectiveness,” Adams said.
He framed getting vaccinated as a social responsibility.
“Getting the flu shot isn’t just about keeping you safe and healthy,” he said. “Getting the flu shot is about community. It’s about keeping everyone safe around you.”
