Flu season is
almost here, and a new study finds that skipping that annual flu shot could
have serious consequences for older people.
The 10-year
study of seniors included those from the Portland area. It found that vaccination
against influenza was associated with a 27 percent decrease in the risk
of hospitalization for influenza or pneumonia — a common complication of
the flu. The risk of death fell 48 percent.
The report was
in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
Roughly 60 percent
of adults older than 65 are vaccinated against influenza each year, according
to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, well below the
national goal of 90 percent.
Manufacturers
have shipped more than 400,000 doses of influenza vaccine to Oregon, and
health officials want high-risk groups to protect themselves against the
virus.
The elderly
are more at risk of serious complications from the flu because they are
more likely to suffer from chronic lung or heart problems, said Gary Oxman,
health officer for Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
"For people
with existing lung or heart disease," Oxman said, "the flu can produce
enough of a compromise in the ability to get oxygen that it can lead to
heart problems or respiratory failure."
An estimated
450 Oregonians die of influenza each year, according to the Oregon Department
of Human Services' Public Health Division. Each year, between 5 percent
and 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, and about 36,000 people
die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recommends
seeking vaccinations in October or November.
Influenza, a
contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that changes year to year,
is characterized by high fever, headache, sore throat, cough and muscle
aches. It can be spread through contact with an infected person a day before
that person experiences any symptoms, and it is contagious for as long
as five days after symptoms appear.
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