# 5991
Although the reports of influenza remain low across most of Europe and North America right now, most years flu activity doesn’t peak until February.
Flu Activity Week 47 – CDC FLUVIEW
Which means it is not too late to get a flu shot this year, and this week – Dec 4th-10th – is National Influenza Vaccination Week.
The link below is to this week’s MMWR, which has the announcement for this year’s campaign, after which I’ll return with a bit more on the safety and effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine.
Announcement: National Influenza Vaccination Week — December 4–10, 2011
Weekly
December 2, 2011 / 60(47);1624National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination and to foster greater use of influenza vaccine through the holiday season into January and beyond. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, and other partners are conducting related activities during NIVW (December 4–10, 2011).
Approximately 128 million doses of influenza vaccine had been delivered in the United States as of mid-November (2). During NIVW, CDC will highlight the importance of preventing influenza by vaccination. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends influenza vaccination for all persons aged ≥6 months (1). However, certain groups are at higher risk for influenza-related complications. These high-risk groups include children aged <5 years, but especially children aged <2 years; persons with certain chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes (types 1 and 2); pregnant women; and adults aged ≥65 years. Children aged 6 months–8 years who did not receive at least 1 dose of the 2010–11 influenza vaccine will need 2 doses this season to be fully protected.
While the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine can vary from one year to next (usually depending on how closely matched the vaccine is to strains in current circulation), and some people may experience a lower level of protection than others (often due to age > 65, individual immune response, or other health issues), a yearly flu shot remains the best defense against influenza.
Last October in CIDRAP: A Comprehensive Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Meta-Analysis we saw the largest meta-analysis to date of vaccine studies that found:
TIV showed efficacy in preventing influenza during 8 of 12 flu seasons (67%) with a combined efficacy of 59% among healthy adults (aged 18–65 years).
And among children aged 2-7, the LAIV proved even more protective, showing efficacy in 9 out of 12 flu seasons (75%) with a pooled efficacy of 83%.
The authors concluded that while better vaccine technologies are sorely needed, and their results were lower than have been commonly stated in the past, today’s flu vaccines were shown to provide a moderate level of protection.
The other side of the coin is the safety of flu vaccines, and despite the non-stop demonization of vaccines by activists on the net, the safety profile of flu vaccines is excellent.
A few blogs on this subject include:
Harvard Study Reaffirms Safety Of Flu Vaccine
MJA: Safety Of Flu Shot In Young Children
NEJM: Study On China’s H1N1 Vaccine Safety
Lancet: Immunogenicity and safety Of Adjuvanted Flu Vaccines
While no vaccine (or drug) can be said to be 100% safe – and rare but sometimes serious adverse effects have been reported - the preponderance of evidence continues to support the scientific consensus that flu vaccines are very safe and most years, reasonably effective.
Given that influenza-related illnesses claims thousands of lives each year in the United States (cite Estimating Seasonal Influenza-Associated Deaths in the United States), the smart money is on getting the vaccine every year.
Even if the shot isn’t perfect.
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