>>Dr. Tim Uyeki: Hello, I'm Dr. Tim Uyeki
with the CDC influenza division.
This video is intended for general audiences as well
as physicians and other healthcare providers.
Today I'll provide answers
to several common questions patients have regarding the
flu vaccine.
I would like to begin with a question;
why should I get a flu vaccine?
CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months
and older is the first and most important step
in protecting against the flu.
The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization
and sometimes even death.
Each year in the United States more than 200,000 people
on average are hospitalized from flu related complications.
Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe.
Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006,
CDC estimates flu associated deaths range from a low
of about 3,000 during the year with the lowest number
of estimated deaths to a high
of about 49,000 people during the year
with the highest number of estimated deaths.
Even healthy children and adults can get very sick from the flu
and spread to family and friends.
The next question is; what does seasonal flu vaccine
protect against?
Well there are many different flu viruses.
The flu vaccine protects against the 3 viruses
that research suggests will be most common.
This includes an influenza A (H1N1) virus,
an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus.
The next question is; should I get the flu shot
or the nasal spray vaccine?
Although the flu vaccine is available in the form of shots
or a nasal spray, there are some differences
in the groups recommended for each.
Regular flu shots are FDA licensed for use
in people 6 months of age and older, including people
with long-term health conditions and pregnant women.
The intradermal flu shot which uses a 90% smaller needle
than the regular flu shot and is injected into the skin instead
of the muscle is FDA licensed for use in adults 18
through 64 years of age.
A high dose flu shot is FDA licensed specifically for use
in people 65 years of age and older.
The nasal spray vaccine,
also known as the live attenuated influenza vaccine
or LAIV, is FDA licensed for healthy people 2
through 49 years of age who are not pregnant.
The term "healthy" is used to indicate
that the vaccine is not recommended for use in people
with asthma, heart disease, diabetes,
and other long-term medical conditions.
The next question is; how effective is the flu vaccine?
How well the flu vaccine works can vary from year to year
and among different groups of people,
depending upon 2 factors:
1) how well the vaccine virus is are matched
to viruses causing illness that season, and 2) the health
and age of the person being vaccinated.
While how well the vaccine works can vary,
flu vaccines are the first and best defense we have to protect
against a serious disease.
It's important to note that it takes about 2 weeks
after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body
that provide protection against flu virus infection.
In the meantime, you're still at risk for getting the flu.
Also note that the flu vaccine does not protect
against non-flu viruses that can cause colds
and other respiratory illnesses.
Even in seasons where there is a less than ideal match
between the flu vaccine and flu viruses in the community,
vaccination can help protect
against serious flu-related complications,
including hospitalization.
Despite the benefits provided by flu vaccination,
some people who have been vaccinated can still get
the flu.
This may be true especially among older people and people
with certain chronic illnesses whose bodies are less likely
to mount a protective immune response following vaccination
than those of healthy young adults.
The next question is; why do I need a flu vaccine every year?
There are 2 reasons for getting a yearly flu vaccine.
The first reason is that because flu viruses are
constantly changing.
Flu vaccine may be updated from one season to the next
to protect against the most recent
and most commonly circulating flu viruses.
The second reason is that a person's immune protection
from vaccination declines over time
and annul vaccination is needed for optimal protection.
This decline in protection
against the flu may be influenced by several factors,
including a person's age, the antigen used in the vaccine,
and the person's health.
For example; chronic health conditions
that weaken the immune system may have an impact.
This decline in protection has the potential
to leave some people more vulnerable to infection,
illness, and possible serious complications
from the same flu viruses a year after being vaccinated.
So for optimal protection against the flu,
annul vaccination is recommended regardless
of whether the viruses in the vaccine have changed or not
since the previous season.
This concludes the CDC video on answers to common questions
about the flu vaccine.
Thank you for watching.
For more information related to flu and flu vaccine,
please visit the CDC flu webpage at www.cdc.gov/flu.