NEW YORK, Oct 02 (Reuters) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna E. Shalala urged older Americans Thursday to make sure they get a flu shot within the next two months to protect against this winter's expected flu epidemic. Twenty thousand people die of flu in the U.S. each year, most of them over age 65.
"The flu poses a serious potential hazard to older Americans, but it's a hazard we can all protect against," Shalala said. "More older Americans are getting their shots, especially since Medicare has begun to pay for them without any required copayment. But we still have to do better... to achieve a satisfactory level of flu immunization."
Also on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that flu and pneumonia vaccination rates in 1995 were at the highest levels ever reported in the U.S. for Americans aged 65 years or older -- 58% of this group received the flu vaccine and 36% received the pneumonia vaccine. But CDC officials caution that these rates should be much higher. Results of a random survey reported in the current edition of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicate that valuable opportunities to vaccinate older people are often missed during hospital stays.
According to the survey, hospitals in 12 western states missed at least one opportunity to administer the flu vaccine in 65% of the cases examined. Failure to provide pneumococcal vaccines occurred up to 80% of the time. Hospitals miss these opportunities, say the CDC, because vaccination records rarely are included in hospital medical records.
"Flu and its most common complication, pneumonia, remain the sixth leading cause of death in the United States," Shalala said. "Flu shots work, but not when the vaccine sits on the shelf. Everyone who comes in contact with senior citizens, whether a relative or a doctor or a pharmacist, should take the opportunity to remind them that flu shots are important, and free."
Hospitals are in a unique position to provide preventive inoculation to older inpatients who are at high risk for flu complications. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that hospitals obtain vaccination histories for all inpatients, and that a vaccination schedule be included in discharge plans.
The best time to get a shot is between October and mid-November. "You might expect some redness or soreness at the site of the injection," said Dr. Jose Cordero of the CDC. "The vaccine takes about 10 to 14 days to begin its full protection."
The shots are free for those enrolled in Medicare Part B from physicians who accept Medicare as full payment. For more information about receiving flu and pneumonia shots covered by Medicare, call the Medicare hotline at 800-638-6833. For more information about the CDC recommendations for vaccination, call the CDC National Immunization Information Hotline at 800-232-2522 (English), or 800-232-0233 (Spanish).
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (1997;46:919-923)
