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Diseases & Conditions
Enhanced flu vaccine suggested for older adults
- By Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
In the journals
Influenza vaccines that contain higher doses and extra ingredients (adjuvants) to boost their effectiveness can pro-vide better protection than the standard flu vaccine for people ages 65 and older, according to recent guidelines from the CDC.
This group of vaccines includes Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublock Quadrivalent, and FLUAD Quadrivalent. According to CDC researchers, the enhanced vaccines could prevent approximately 2,000 annual deaths from the flu.
Experts recommend getting a flu vaccine in September or October, but November or even December is not too late. Check with your primary care doctor about which vaccine is best for you. (For local vaccine locations, visit www.VaccineFinder.org.) The CDC says that older adults should still get a standard flu shot if these vaccines are not available. The recommendations were published online Aug. 26, 2022, by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Image: © BackyardProduction/Getty Images
About the Author
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
Disclaimer:
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No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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COVID-19, Flu, and Colds
Any given year, we’ll collectively come down with one billion colds and up to 45 million cases of flu, while the number of new cases of COVID-19 keeps rising. In this guide, you will learn how to avoid getting any of these three viral infections, and, if you do get sick, what you can do to feel better. You’ll also learn when your condition is serious enough to call a doctor. The report also provides specific information about high-risk groups for whom COVID and the flu can be very serious.
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