My parents are 64 and 67. I always recommend they get the double flu shot, shingles each fall , and pneumonia every other year. I had pneumonia and the flu in one year at age 35 and it was the most awful experience. Now I get the flu and pneumonia vaccines too. I’d hate to anyone suffer through either of those.
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Do you know how much Mercury are in these shots? Any bit is too much. Don't do it.
@Vicki
Yes, I do know. Of seven trivalent flu vaccines available, four have none, one has less than 1 microgram per dose, and two have 25 micrograms per dose. A microgram is one-millionth of a gram. 25 micrograms is about the same amount of mercury you would get from eating 1.5 to 3 oz of tuna fish.
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When should the double-dose shot be taken? I've had mine anywhere from August to October.
@Steve: I'm a pediatrician, and in children, we give the 2nd dose at least 4 weeks after the first dose. I can't speak with authority regarding other groups, but that would be my guess. Of course, always check with your doctor!
Quadrivalent vs Trivalent vs boosted (stronger) vaccine for 65 and older...One wonders if the Quadrivalent would be more beneficial. I'd love to see the fully conducted research on each vaccine. You'd think they would boost the strength of the Quad. for seniors or recommend a booster if people chose to immunize in August.
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I have gotten the flu a couple of times after taking the flu vaccine in late August. But they were quite mild cases, in one case lasting only two days (though I made the mistake of returning to work on the third day; now I realize I could have given the flu to my students and others I came into contact with even though I felt better).
On the other hand, the one year I couldn't get a flu vaccine due to severe shortages in my area, I got the flu, then got pneumonia and was really sick and it took weeks to recover.
A regular dose, even in August, seems to provide enough protection for me to avoid a really serious case of the flu, the kind I had before I began taking the vaccine.
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“Simply taking two doses of the currently available vaccine will not be protective.” What???
Maybe you meant “more” protective?
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Dr. Klasco- I would like to have seen your opinion of revaccinating a traveler with a chronic disease to the global south during their flu season, providing one still has (non-expired) vaccine on hand...
There are conflicting theories on this with some medical professionals suggesting a so-called booster shot in February "might" have merit if you got the original vaccination very early. The problem is that it's hard to find any actual studies that support this. Honestly, I think frequent hand washing and avoiding crowds and sick people if you can could be the first very effective line of defense. And don't get me started on church traditions like shaking hands, sharing wine etc.
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@R. Anderson and in that same line of thinking, I use to frequent health clubs and got sick constantly..flus/colds etc..Health clubs are a cesspool of germs with all that sweating and close contact... After awhile I said enough! Now all my cardio work is running or biking outside..and when the weather gets bad, I bought a treadmill and rowing machine for my home for indoor use...The results are amazing...Rarely, if ever, do I get sick now...BTW, as a precaution, I still get the flu shot annually.
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I'm confused by this article recommending a double dose -- but not a booster shot -- for older people. The very old, very small study cited here said that elderly people showed no benefit from a booster shot.
I had to assume from Jane Brody's article -- which claimed that flu vaccine effectiveness attenuates at the rate of 20% a month -- that a patient's antibodies gradually become weaker or fewer against viruses.
But ... if that is true, then why wouldn't a 20% reduction following a double dose be the same loss regardless of the size of the dose?
Was there a flaw in the study design, or is this perhaps a finding that has merely been mischaracterized by a journalist as a conclusion?
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@Sequel Everyone over 65 is automatically given a stronger vaccine. The doctor here is not recommending more than one vaccine for an older person. It can cause an adverse reaction and has no benefit.
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@Richard Grayson
People 65+ are not automatically given the high dose or adjuvanted vaccines. ACIP has not expressed a preference for these vaccines for seniors so many older adults still receive standard vaccines. You have to ask to be sure what you're getting.
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This article and Jane Brody's (Need a Flu Shot? Get It Now https://nyti.ms/2D3cvGb) seem to be at odds with one another. Brody writes that flu shot effectiveness wanes about 20 percent each month after injection. That would suggest that a mid-season booster after an early-season initial shot would always help to some degree regardless of the patient's demographic and health history.
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I just started thinking about maybe getting a second flu shoot in the depths of winter - won't bother now. Flu scares me more than cancer. Last year I read over and over about people much younger than me (senior), much healthier than me, but mostly not vaccinated, dying, and dying quickly from flu.
I still work part-time but I am avoiding thanksgiving luncheon and christmas work gifting party this year. As I told a co-worker, you are surrounded by people with germy little children or germy little grandchildren. I never had kids and I know there is a level of disease-resistance that comes from years of parenting small children which I will never have.
So looking forward to April - at least health-wise.
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Thank you for this article. I am 74 and was thinking of getting my second flu shot. It now seems unnecessary.
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I wonder whether this new flu vaccine recommendation applies regardless of which H and N variants are being targeted by the particular vaccine? Flu vaccines vary in other ways as well. Does none of this variation matter regarding safety and efficacy? And what about maintaining adequate supplies?
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