More than six out of ten (61%) Americans get a flu vaccine each year or plan to get one this year, two percentage points higher than last year, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of CVS Health. Seniors aged 65 and above were more likely to get immunization than younger people, with 76 percent of respondents in this age-group planning to get a flu vaccine.
Flu season in the US generally begins around October and can last up until May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since 2010, the number of flu-related hospitalizations ranged from 140,000 to 710,000 and the number of flu-related deaths in this period is estimated to range from 12,000 to 56,000, CDC figures suggest.
The online survey, conducted in July 2017 by Harris Poll, polled more than 2,000 adults over the age of 18. It revealed more than two-thirds of Americans believe the flu vaccine is the most effective way to avoid contracting the condition. However, a growing number of Americans are taking other precautions to avoid the flu, with nine out of ten people taking steps to ensure they do not catch flu from others. These included using hand sanitizer (41%), drinking more water (55%), taking vitamins (50%), eating healthier and more nutritious food (44%), and getting more exercise (43%).
Adults in the northeast of the country were the most likely to get immunization against the flu, with 68 percent of respondents planning to get the vaccine, significantly more than the 54 percent in the West, 56 percent in the Midwest and 60 percent in the South. The CDC recommends that everyone who is eligible, over six months of age, and who do not have contraindications, should get a flu vaccine when they are available, ideally by October.
In March 2017, the CDC estimated more than 145 million doses of the vaccine for the 2016-17 influenza season had been distributed. In July 2017, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline announced the commencement of shipping of its 2017-18 seasonal influenza vaccines for the US market. It is the first-to-market with a quadrivalent vaccine and is set to deliver up to 40 million doses the flu vaccines Flulaval Quadrivalent and Fluarix Quadrivalent.
New flu vaccines are developed each year to keep ahead of the changing strains of the virus. The composition of the influenza vaccine for the 2017-18 season is:
Trivalent vaccines:
- A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus (updated)
- A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus
- B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (Victoria lineage)
Quadrivalent vaccines:
- The three mentioned above, plus B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (Yamagata lineage).
Angela Patterson, chief nurse practitioner officer at MinuteClinic, stated: "People may not realize that it can actually take up to two weeks for the flu vaccine to build immunity… CVS Pharmacy actually recommends that patients get their flu shot as soon as the vaccine becomes available to ensure you have the best protection before flu season peaks." She emphasized the importance of getting vaccinations every year, explaining influenza strains tend to change over the course of the year.
