Nearly half of U.S. adults plan to get flu shots

Fewer than half of U.S. adults received a flu vaccine last season and about half say they plan to get flu shots this season, according to fresh data shared by federal health officials Thursday.

About 45% of adults received a flu vaccine last season, up from 41% during the 2010-2011 season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. A recent survey of 1,002 adults by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) found that 52% plan to get a flu shot this season.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday described influenza as a serious, potentially deadly illness.

“It’s a lot more than just a couple missed days of work because of fever, body aches and just feeling lousy in general,” Mr. Azar said at a forum at the National Press Club. “Each year, seasonal flu sickens millions of Americans, hospitalizes hundreds of thousands and kills tens of thousands.”

During the 2018-2019 flu season, which lasted a record-setting 21 weeks, the CDC reported between 37 million to 43 million illnesses, 531,000 to 647,000 hospitalizations and 36,400 to 61,200 deaths in the U.S.

President Trump last week signed an executive order to modernize flu vaccines and improve their effectiveness and manufacturing. About 85% of manufacturers today develop vaccines by growing them in eggs, which takes months, said Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the CDC’s influenza division.

Flu vaccine effectiveness rates average around 40%. Last season, the vaccine proved 29% effective, dropping from 47% in February when a group of H3N2 viruses unexpectedly rose to prominence.

“This particular virus is particularly terrible at quality control. It makes lots of different copies of itself,” Dr. Jernigan said. “The fact it is going through so much error as it’s making copies of itself it gives itself this advantage of being able to find a way around our own immunity.”

According to the NFID survey, the top reasons U.S. adults gave for not planning to get a flu shot: They thought flu vaccines do not work (51%), they were concerned about side effects (34%) and they were worried about getting the flu from the vaccine (22%).

While the vaccine could use improvements, it still provides vast protection, said Dr. William Schaffner, NFID medical director, noting that it can lessen a person’s chance of suffering complications and shorten and alleviate influenza illnesses.

“The flu is unpredictable, but we can predict it will rise,” said Dr. Schaffner. “It needs to be taken seriously. Vaccination is clearly the best prevention.”

It is recommended that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot before the end of October. The shot also can be given simultaneously with the vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia, a possible complication of the flu.

Other complications include heart, brain or muscle tissue inflammation and multi-organ failure. Young children, adults 65 years and older and pregnant women are at greater risk of developing flu complications.

Dr. Patricia Whitley-Williams, a pediatrician and professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, spoke at Thursday’s forum. She said she has seen high rates of hospitalization of young children due to the flu and some who even died from complications.

“We know that the flu vaccine isn’t perfect. We all know it won’t provide 100% protection, but it will reduce the severity and duration of disease. And it will save children’s lives,” Dr. Whitley-Williams said. “So everyone, please get vaccinated.”

People with chronic health conditions also face an increased risk of developing flu complications. About 93% of adults hospitalized for flu-related complications last season had an underlying medical condition, said Dr. William Borden, preventative cardiologist and professor at George Washington University.

Influenza can worsen chronic medical problems such as asthma and heart disease.

This season, the public has a number of vaccine options — from the standard shot to a nasal spray.