Vaccination Remains Your Best Defense Against Flu

If you haven’t had your flu shot yet, there’s still time—while flu peaks around February, the virus can still circulate as late as May, and getting vaccinated against it is your best protection. Moreover, the vaccine can help prevent severe flu-related complications such as pneumonia. “You should get the flu shot every year, because the vaccine changes every year,” says Mount Sinai geriatrician Patricia Bloom, MD. “This is necessary because the flu virus itself frequently mutates.” This is why the flu vaccine was not as good as it usually is during the 2017-2018 flu season—the flu virus that had been circulating changed, rendering the vaccine less effective. That said, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the vaccine still prevented 7.1 million illnesses, 3.7 million medical visits, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 8,000 deaths.

Cardiovascular Benefits Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in September 2019 points to the flu vaccine’s benefits for people with poor cardiovascular health. Previous studies have suggested that the stress placed on the body by flu might trigger heart attacks and strokes in people who are at risk for these. “When you have flu, your immune system fights back by triggering inflammation,” Dr. Bloom explains. “Inflammation helps clear the flu virus from your body, but it may reduce the stability of the cholesterol deposits—called plaques—that are a hallmark of cardiovascular disease. If these plaques become unstable, they are more likely to rupture and form blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.”

The researchers looked at nine years of health data on 608,452 people, age up to 100 years, all of whom had high blood pressure (a risk factor for heart attack and stroke). The analysis showed that in any given flu season, getting the flu vaccine was associated with an 18 percent reduction in the risk of dying from all causes, a 16 percent reduction in the risk of dying from any cardiovascular cause, and a 10 percent reduction in the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

Many Seniors Bypass Flu Shot During the nine flu seasons included in the study, vaccine coverage ranged from 26 percent to 36 percent, meaning that many people with high blood pressure were not vaccinated. Non-vaccination also is common in seniors—statistics suggest that only about 45 percent of over-65s get the flu shot. In one study, virtually all of the seniors who ended up in intensive care for flu and its complications had not had the annual flu vaccine. If you haven’t had yours, discuss your options with your doctor. Given that older adults are less likely to respond to vaccines, Dr. Bloom recommends you ask your doctor about Fluzone®, a high-dose vaccine that contains four times the number of flu antigens as the standard vaccine. Remember that it takes about two weeks for your immune system to develop flu antibodies after you get the shot, and take care to avoid family and friends who have flu until you are fully protected.

Self-Help Flu Fighters The following strategies also can help protect against flu:

• Keep your distance The flu virus spreads through the air when infected people sneeze, cough, or even just talk, so don’t socialize with family and friends who have flu, and try to avoid crowds (and public transport) if flu is circulating locally.
• Wash your hands frequently Hot water and soap is better than hand sanitizer, though the latter is a useful stand-in if you’re out and don’t have access to a bathroom. You should wash your hands thoroughly—a 2017 poll from the UK-based Royal Pharmaceutical Society suggested that 84 percent of people don’t wash their hands for long enough to get rid of the viruses and bacteria that can cause illnesses like flu. As a guide, aim for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice), and don’t forget the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and the tips of your fingers.
• Support your immune function by eating a healthy diet and getting a good night’s sleep.

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