Too many people with asthma aren’t getting the protection they need from the flu. Results from a new government survey reveal widespread vaccine under-use. Flu shots are a simple measure to take each year when winter approaches. Are you doing all you can to protect your own health and that of people you know with asthma or other chronic ailments?
Nationwide findings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey of 15,000 men, women and children over the age of 2 around the country, of whom about 8 percent currently had asthma. An analysis of the data, which came from 2005 to 2006 — the most recently available year — was published this summer in the government’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. It provides the first nationwide data about influenza vaccination rates among people with asthma.
Overall, only 36.2 percent of people with asthma received an influenza vaccine during the survey period. People without a usual place for health care were much less likely to be immunized against influenza. So were people without insurance and those with lower incomes.
Recommended vaccine
“Many people with asthma have relatively mild disease and may not appreciate that they’re at risk for complications from influenza,” says Dr. Doug Campos-Outcalt, a family physician in Tucson, Ariz., who serves on the centers Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
But they are, as are people with moderate or severe asthma. Anyone with any degree of asthma is at increased risk for severe flu-related complications such as breathing problems or pneumonia.
To prevent those complications, the advisory committee recommends flu shots for all people with asthma, regardless of the severity of disease.
And while the shots are advised for people with asthma, nasal spray flu vaccines are not. That’s because the sprays are prepared from live, attenuated viruses, which are not considered safe for people with asthma.
Best time to get your shot? Prime time is October or November each year. If you’re late, you can still get vaccinated until the end of flu season in the spring, though sooner is better. Your protection against influenza usually starts about two weeks after the injection.
Other high-risk groups
Low rates of immunization occur among children, pregnant women and family members of those most vulnerable to the flu. People with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, suppressed immunity or disorders of the kidney, liver, blood or metabolism are often inadequately protected too.
The committee recommends that all these people get a yearly influenza shot. So should anyone who has received regular medical care or hospitalization during the past year for chronic illness.
Beyond that, the influenza-related death rate increases sharply among older adults. The committee advises everyone age 50 and older to be vaccinated against influenza.
The CDC recently added a recommendation to vaccinate healthy children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday. Close contacts of children and out-of-home caregivers such as nannies or day care providers were also advised to get vaccinated. Children 6 months and older with chronic health problems should continue to get flu shots.
Finally, what can you do if you don’t fit any of these categories? The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advises vaccination for anyone who wishes to reduce the chance of getting sick from influenza. Ask your provider about potential side effects before getting a flu shot.
For more information: Centers for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov.
Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at doctor@practical prevention.com. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.
&Copy; 2008 Elizabeth S. Smoots
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