FLU SHOT OVERRATED

Flu Shot Overrated

Could the flu shot be overrated? That's what new research is implying, that it doesn't save lives like we think it does. All over the country, on the day the word got out this year that there was going to be a huge flu vaccine shortage, we had a near panic. The image of senior standing in hour-long lines to get the flu shot were repeated city by city, town by town.

The fear: if they don't get the vaccine, the flu could make them seriously ill, and even kill them. It made sense: the influenza vaccine has been recommended for years now for all persons 65 and older. It's been such a significant public health move, that vaccination coverage for this age group has increased from between 14 and 20 percent before 1980 to 65 percent in 2001.

The reasoning is that in this older population, the flu can be a killer. Most deaths from the flu are in this age group. But now, new research, out of the National Institutes of Health and published in the respected Archives of Internal Medicine, says between 1980 and 2001, there is really no correlation with increased vaccination coverage and declining mortality rates. In fact, the authors say, "Because fewer than ten percent of all winter deaths were attributable to influenza in any season, we conclude that observational studies substantially overestimate vaccination benefit."

So, should we be making ourselves so crazy over the flu shot? Sot The flu pandemic of 1968 which killed 130,000 people probably gave our society a high degree of immunity to the flu, so that it can't kill us, just make us sick. Between 1980 and 2001, when the flu vaccination rate rose substantially, so did the pneumonia and influenza mortality rates among people 65 and older…a surprising finding given the shot should be reducing influenza related mortality. Overall, the study found that fewer than ten percent of all winter deaths in those 65 and older were attributable to the flu. So does this make the shot less important?

Sot If there were a new type of flu bug, like the avian flu that is concerning world health officials, then a new vaccine would likely save lives. The authors believe if the flu shot had been widely given in 1968, many of the deaths would have been avoided. There's good news about the current flu shot, though: this year's shortage, and future shortages, are unlikely to affect overall mortality due to the flu. Experts say the flu vaccine is safe for most, and therefore one should speak with his or her physician before deciding not to get the flu vaccine. This is one study, albeit an interesting one, and until things change, public policy is still that all persons 65 and older should get the flu vaccine.

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