Flu shot is still a good choice for seniors says review

A recent study finds out that the seasonal flu shot is still a good choice to protect seniors in the epidemic season in which flu is widespread.

The authors of the study stress the need to reassess the effectiveness of the vaccine every year. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended for people above 60 to get a flu shot every year.

Michael L. Jackson of Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, who wrote a commentary accompanying the review in The Lancet Infectious Diseases said,“This reinforces what we already know, the vaccine works modestly well for seniors. When it’s offered in the fall is the best time to get it.”

The review’s senior author, Edwin R. van den Heuvel of Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands said, “Although influenza virus can affect everyone at any age, it is well-known that children younger than age two, elderly aged 60 years or older and patients with chronic underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of influenza and its complications.”

90% of the fatalities in influenza related cases occur in the elderly population. The flu vaccine relies on the body’s immune response which gets weaker with age. However past research has revealed that even partial protection is effective in preventing morbidity in elderly patients suffering from Flu.