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CDC says only 44% of Americans have had influenza vaccinations

Posted by Scott Harrah
December 17, 2014

Despite preventing an estimated 7.2 million flu-related illnesses and 90,000 flu hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on December 11, 2014 that only 40% of Americans received influenza vaccinations as of early November this year.

The UMHS Endeavour looks at the CDC’s report and why the public and students at American and Caribbean medical schools should get vaccinated this flu season. We will also examine a new study showing how influenza vaccinations of schoolchildren protect others.

The CDC said a model, first published in June 2013, estimated the benefits of influenza vaccinations. The 2013-2014 estimates represent “a 17% reduction in the number of flu illnesses and hospitalizations that would have occurred last season in an unvaccinated population,” a CDC press release said.

If vaccination rates could be raised to 70%, “another 5.9 million flu illnesses, 2.3 million medically attended illnesses, and 42,000 flu hospitalizations could have been prevented,” the CDC said.

Flu Facts for 2014-2015 Season

Below are facts about this current flu season from the CDC.

  • "As of mid-October, seven influenza vaccine manufacturers are projecting that as many as 151 million to 156 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available for use in the United States during the 2014-2015 influenza season."
  • "During September, some manufacturers, including those who develop flu vaccines approved for children in the United States, reported delays in shipments that were originally anticipated for early fall. Despite these early season shipping delays, however, approximately 85% of the total doses projected for the season were distributed by the end of October. Flu vaccine doses have continued to be distributed since the end of October."

The CDC says approximately 86% of physicians, 81% of nurses and 86% of nurse practitioners/physician assistants in the USA have had influenza vaccinations.

Flu Shots for Schoolchildren Help Others, Study Says

A University of Florida study reports that giving influenza vaccinations to schoolchildren protects others.

“The effect of school-based vaccination was profound, both on the students and on the community,” lead author Cuc Tran, a doctoral student in public health at the University of Florida, said in a news release (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_149975.html).

Half of the children aged 5 to 17 in Alachua County, Florida, received seasonal influenza vaccinations through a school-based program. The result? “The flu rate in the entire age group fell by 79%.”

The researchers said the influenza rate among children 4 and younger decreased by 89% (although the children were not included in the vaccination program). The study said the influenza rate declined 60% among non-school-aged residents in the county.

Influenza Antiviral Drugs Good Second Tool

Vaccination is still the best way to prevent flu. The CDC says using influenza antiviral drugs (zanamivir and oseltamivir ) are great as a “second tool to fight flu.”

Influenza antiviral drugs are especially useful for people at risk for serious, life-threatening complications, such as the elderly, children and people with compromised immune systems.

For more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/vaccinesupply.htm

 

(Top image) MOST AMERICANS NOT READY FOR FLU SEASON: The CDC says only 44% of Americans have received flu vaccinations for the 2014-2015 season. Infographic: CDC


About UMHS:

Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.

 

Posted by Scott Harrah

Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.

Topics: Medicine and Health

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