Studies have revealed that influenza vaccination prevents medical visits and hospitalizations. Data from the CDC’s recent HAIVEN (Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network) study show that3:
- During the 2016–2017 influenza season, the vaccine reduced outpatient influenza visits in the United States by 42% for influenza A and B viruses and by 34% for influenza A/H3N2 viruses.3
- The flu vaccine offered significant protection against influenza hospitalizations in the United States, especially among adults over the age of 65. It reduced influenza hospitalizations by 30% among all adults and by 37% among adults ≥65 years of age (influenza A and B viruses).3
- Flu vaccines have also been shown to be highly cost-effective in the prevention of acute myocardial infarction, particularly for high-risk people.4
AVAILABLE INFLUENZA VACCINES IN THE UNITED STATES, 2018-2019 INFLUENZA SEASON5
TRADE NAME
MANUFACTURER
AGE RANGE
Afluria®
Seqirus
6 months and older
Afluria® Quadrivalent
Seqirus
6 months and older
Fluad®
Seqirus
65 years and older
Fluarix® Quadrivalent
GlaxoSmithKline
6 months and older
Flublok® Quadrivalent
Protein Sciences Corporation a Sanofi company
18 years and older
Flucelvax® Quadrivalent
Seqirus
4 years and older
FluLaval® Quadrivalent
ID Biomedical Corp. of Quebec, a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline
6 months and older
FluMist® Quadrivalent
MedImmune
2 through 49 years
Fluzone® High Dose
Sanofi Pasteur
65 years and older
Fluzone® Quadrivalent
Sanofi Pasteur
6 months and older
HOW INFLUENZA VACCINES WORK
Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.1
Seasonal flu vaccines protect against the influenza viruses that research indicate are likely to be circulating in the upcoming flu season.1
Quadrivalent vaccines are made to protect against four flu viruses: two types of influenza A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) and two types of influenza B viruses. Trivalent vaccines are made to protect against three flu viruses: the same influenza A viruses included in the quadrivalent vaccine and one influenza B virus.1
Preventing influenza helps reduce the potential loss of function in older adults. Sadly, approximately 14.6% of older adults hospitalized with influenza experience catastrophic disability, which is defined as a loss of independence of three or more basic activities of daily living (personal care and hygiene, mobility and being able to get in and out of bed or up from a chair or sofa, toileting, bathing and feeding).6, 7
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all people 6 months of age and older receive an annual flu vaccine. 1
CLICK HERE for the latest ACIP recommendations on seasonal influenza vaccines
EVIDENCE-BASED RESOURCES
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Influenza Vaccination: Information for Healthcare Professionals (web section)
- Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – U.S., 2018–19 Influenza Season (PDF)
- Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years or Older, United States, 2018 (PDF)
From the Immunization Action Coalition
- Influenza Vaccine Products for the Influenza Season (PDF)
- Free, CDC-reviewed, ready-to-print influenza educational materials for healthcare personnel and patients (web section)
- Ask the Experts: Influenza (web section where CDC experts answer questions for healthcare professionals about influenza disease and vaccines)
- Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for Inactivated or Recombinant Influenza (Flu) Vaccine (PDF)
- Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for Inactivated or Recombinant Influenza Vaccine — Translations in more than 30 languages (web page)
From the Literature
IAC and Seqirus are not responsible for content found at external links.1. Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm. 2. Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2016-17 Influenza Season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-1617estimates.htm 3. Ferdinands, J. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness, 2016-2017: U.S. Flu VE Network & U.S. Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN). National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2017-06/flu-03-ferdinands.pdf 4. MacIntyre CR, Mahimbo A, Moa AM, et al Influenza Vaccine as a Coronary Intervention for Prevention of Myocardial Infarction. Heart 2016;102:1953-1956. 5. Influenza Vaccines – United States, 2017-18 Influenza Season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/vaccines.htm 6. McElhaney JE et al. The Role of Vaccination in Successful Independent Ageing. European Geriatric Medicine 2016. Volume 7, Issue 2, 171-175. 7. Tan, L. How are Adult Immunizations Paid for in the United States? National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit. 2018. http://www.allhealthpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/TAN.pdf