Latest CDC study proves boomers benefit from flu shot

ATLANTA - A new CDC study published Tuesday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases provides more evidence on the benefits of flu vaccination among older adults. The study looked at flu-associated hospitalizations among people 50 and older during the 2010-2011 flu season and found that people who had gotten a flu vaccine reduced their risk of flu-associated hospitalization by half.

The study, which compared 368 flu-hospitalized patients and compared them against case controls selected from the community, found that vaccinated people 50 years and older were 57% less likely to be hospitalized from flu than unvaccinated people. The benefits were similar by age group, including adults 75 years and older.

This is a notable finding since flu effectiveness studies that have looked at how well vaccine protects against flu-related doctor’s visits have generally found that effectiveness declines with age. This study indicates that protection against hospitalization was level among older people.

Study findings also support current U.S. recommendations for annual influenza vaccination among adults, especially among adults 65 years of age and older who are at high risk of influenza-associated complications. During 2015-2016, an estimated 66% of people 65 an older got a flu vaccine. While this is the highest vaccination rate among the public for any age group, that still leaves nearly one-third of people 65 and older unvaccinated.