People aged 65 and over should get a flu shot between mid-September and early October

Seasonal flu activity in the US typically peaks between December and February, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months and older get their annual vaccine by Halloween. Still, Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Infectious Disease Foundation, encourages older adults to protect themselves a little earlier.

“For older adults and those with chronic medical conditions, I typically recommend getting a flu shot anytime from mid-September to early October,” Hopkins said previously. wealth. “Because for those of us with immune systems that aren’t as robust, we want to make sure we’re vaccinating at a time that’s likely to give us immune protection throughout the flu season.”

In addition to young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, older adults are at increased risk for serious flu complications. That’s because as you age, your immune system slows down and weakens. In recent years, CDC estimates, people 65 and older accounted for 70% to 85% of seasonal flu-related deaths and 50% to 70% of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations.

Also, the aging immune system may not work as well in combination with standard-dose flu shots to protect you from severe infection, hospitalization, and death—which is why the CDC recommends the following specialized flu shots for those 64 and older years. All 2024-2025 vaccines are trivalent, meaning they protect against three flu viruses.

Fluzone high-dose flu vaccine

The high-dose Fluzone vaccine, made by Sanofi, contains four times more protection than standard-dose vaccines. Medicare Part B, most Medicare Advantage plans and most private insurance plans cover Fluzone High-Dose, according to Sanofi.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the immunization only for people 65 and older. A randomized controlled trial published in 2014 in New England Journal of Medicine showed that high-dose vaccines were 24% more effective than standard-dose vaccines in preventing influenza among older adults.

Don’t be alarmed if you have more side effects than usual after taking a high dose, advises Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic.

“This vaccine has four times the amount of antigen—which is the active part of the vaccine—than the other vaccines,” she says. wealth. “Because it has more antigen, it produces a better immune response. It also means there may be a bit more in terms of local side effects, pain, low fever etc.

Influenza vaccine with Fluad adjuvant

Fluad, made by Seqirus, is the only other FDA-approved flu vaccine exclusively for people 65 and older. Although it is a standard-dose vaccine, Fluad contains an adjuvant, an added ingredient that helps your body develop a stronger immune response. Fluad’s adjuvant is called MF59, an oil-in-water emulsion containing squalene, a substance that occurs naturally in plants, humans and animals.

Medicare Part B and most Medicare Advantage plans cover Fluad without a copay, Seqirus says.

While research has shown that Fluad protects older adults from the flu better than standard-dose, non-adjuvanted vaccines, the CDC says no randomized trials to date have compared the effectiveness of high-dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines.

Flublok recombinant influenza vaccine

Flu vaccine production has historically involved replicating viruses inside chicken eggs—a time-consuming process that requires large quantities of eggs. Since 2013, the US has also begun to produce vaccines more quickly and synthetically through recombinant technology. Flublok, a vaccine manufactured by Sanofi and approved by the FDA for adults 18 years and older, is a recombinant influenza vaccine.

Flublok is not exclusive to older adults, but it can give them increased protection because it contains three times the antigen of standard-dose vaccines. Medicare considers Flublok among its preferred vaccines for people 65 and older.

If Fluzone, Fluad, or Flublok aren’t available to you, the CDC says some protection is better than no protection and advises older adults to get a standard-dose vaccine.

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