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Only 52% of US adults plan to get flu vaccine, survey shows

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Patricia N. Whitley-Williams

WASHINGTON — Although influenza vaccination rates have increased, new data released by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases indicated that barely half of U.S. adults plan to get vaccinated against influenza this season.

“Flu is serious. It’s a lot more than a few missed days from work from fever, body ache or just feeling lousy. ... It is a serious, potentially deadly illness,” HHS Secretary Alex M. Azar II said during the annual influenza and pneumococcal news conference co-hosted by the NFID and CDC.

“Each season flu vaccination prevents several million illnesses, tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths,” Azar said. “Over recent years on average, flu vaccination has reduced the average adult’s chances of going to the doctor by between 30% and 60%. So, why doesn’t everybody get the vaccination?”

To help better understand the beliefs, attitudes and practices surrounding influenza vaccination, the NFID surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Overall, 60% of respondents said they believed vaccination is the best protection against influenza; however, only 52% said they planned to get vaccinated against influenza this season, and an additional 18% said they were not sure if they will.

HHS Secretary Alex M. Azar II and Mark May, a two-time Super Bowl champion with Washington, received their influenza vaccine at the annual influenza and pneumococcal news conference hosted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and CDC in Washington . Source: NFID

The top reasons cited for not getting vaccinated were not believing influenza vaccines work (51%), concern over adverse effects from the vaccine (34%) and concern about getting influenza from the vaccine (22%). According to the CDC, adverse effects from influenza vaccination are generally mild and resolve on their own within a few days. Influenza vaccination cannot cause influenza.

Despite these reported concerns, CDC estimates show that influenza vaccination coverage has increased over the past decade. According to data presented at the meeting, coverage among adults remained around 45% for the 2018-2019 season. It was 52% among teens aged 13 to 17 years — an increase of almost 20 percentage points over the previous season — and 63% in all children aged 6 months to 17 years.

Azar and other speakers at the meeting urged people to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months or older received an annual influenza vaccine.

“This past year we saw high rates of pediatric hospitalization due to flu-related complications. This did not include just children with underlying illness, but also healthy children who were hospitalized and even died from flu-related complications,” said Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD, NFID president-elect, professor and chair of the department of pediatrics and chief of the division of allergy, immunology and infectious diseases at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

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Whitley-Williams noted that there were 135 pediatric deaths due to influenza last season. She recalled standing by the side of the mother of a 9-month-old child who was diagnosed with influenza. The child was transferred to the ICU and put on a ventilator and required weeks of hospitalization. Whitley-Williams recalled that the mother said, “I could have prevented this,” and reflected on her vaccination beliefs.

“We know it doesn’t need to be this way,” she said. “Flu vaccination can significantly reduce a child’s risk of dying from flu by 65%. ... It’s so important to get vaccinated early.”

Azar outlined three methods of defense to prevent the spread of influenza among all ages.

“The first defense is to the get the flu vaccination. The second step is to take every-day preventive actions to prevent the spread of germs. Last, but not least, take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them,” Azar said. “I encourage everyone to make getting flu vaccination a healthy habit each and every year.”– by Caitlyn Stulpin

Disclosures: Azar and Whitley-Williams report no relevant financial disclosures.