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WASHINGTON – After a severe 2017-2018 influenza season during which about 900,000 people were hospitalized and 80,000 died, the US authorities insisted on the need to vaccinate all people aged 6 months or older.
"Those 80,000 people who died, guess what, they had this flu from someone," American general surgeon Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH, said Thursday at the annual flu conference organized by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). "It's extremely important that we make people understand that it's their social responsibility to get vaccinated."
Adams rolled up his sleeves to receive one of the first 168 million doses of flu vaccine available this season.
According to the NFID, vaccination coverage against influenza among children aged 6 months to 17 years has remained stable but remains below the national health targets of 80% of vaccinated people. Last season, a slight decline in coverage of 1.1% was observed in this population, bringing it down to 57.9%. The NFID noted that young children are at particularly high risk of serious influenza complications because of their age.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Receives Influenza Vaccine. Source: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Adams said the flu had caused 180 deaths among children last season and "the majority of them were not vaccinated". The CDC estimates that 180 deaths are underestimates because not all deaths related to influenza are reported.
"One flu death is too big. The flu vaccine can save the lives of children, "said Adams.
Despite a decrease in coverage, vaccination rates were highest among children aged 6 months to 4 years at 67.8%.
According to the NFID, child protection begins with the protection of pregnant women, who may have more serious illnesses and symptoms if they get the flu. For this reason, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the CDC recommend that all pregnant women or those considering pregnancy receive the flu shot. In the 2017-2018 season, only about half of pregnant women (49.1%) were vaccinated, according to CDC estimates.
according to Laura E. Riley, MD, Given Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, women who are not getting their flu shot are at greater risk of having a baby suffering from Congenital anomalies and early childbirth. 60% more likely to be hospitalized during their pregnancy.
According to a study published in MMWR, The CDC analyzed data from an internet survey conducted between March 28 and April 10, which included 1,771 pregnant women during the peak of the influenza season, from October 2017 to January 2018. Among these, women, 49.1% received influenza vaccine and 54.4% reported receiving Tdap, also recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The two most common reasons reported by pregnant women who did not receive these vaccinations were concerns about the effectiveness and safety concerns for the baby.
"Influenza vaccination during pregnancy is safe," Riley said in a press release. "Studies show that in addition to protecting pregnant women, a flu shot given during pregnancy helps protect babies against the flu during the first months of their life, before they are old enough to to be vaccinated.
In addition to young children and pregnant women, ACIP recommends that all health personnel receive an annual influenza vaccine to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality among workers and patients, according to a second report. study published in MMWR. The CDC conducted an internet survey of 2,265 US health personnel to estimate vaccine coverage against influenza. A total of 78.4% reported receiving the vaccination last season, an increase of 15 percentage points since 2010-2011, according to the NFID.
The study found that the highest coverage was associated with workplace immunization requirements and was consistently higher among health care workers working in hospitals. Influenza immunization coverage among health staff working in long-term care facilities remains consistently lower than all other settings – a disturbing finding as many of them work as health assistants and assistants, authors said.
In addition, according to the NFID, seniors and those with certain chronic diseases, such as heart and lung diseases, diabetes and obesity, are at risk of serious influenza complications. Last season had the biggest impact on adults aged 65 and over. According to the CDC, 70% of hospitalizations and 90% of deaths occurred in this age group.
"The flu is hard to predict and can cause serious complications, even for healthy people," Adams said. "Vaccination is the best thing to do to protect yourself, your family and your family. Together, let's fight the flu. "- by Caitlyn Stulpin
The references:
Black CL, et al. MMWR morb Deadly Wkly representative 2018 Sept. 28, 67 (38) 1050-1054.
Kahn KE et al. MMWR morb Deadly Wkly representative 2018 Sept. 28, 67 (38) 1055-1059.
Disclosures: Adams does not report any relevant financial information. Infectious Diseases News was unable to confirm the financial information relevant to Riley at the time of publication.
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