With summer’s end fast-approaching, flu season in the United States seems to be right around the corner. Flu season tends to run from October to May.
While it is still summer we are already receiving alerts and advertisements that the flu vaccine is now available reminding us to prepare by getting a flu shot.
But the question arises – can I get the flu shot too early?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that everyone 6 months of age and older to get vaccinated soon after the vaccine becomes available, and definitely by the start of October. For the upcoming flu season the CDC is recommending only the flu shot and not the nasal spray version due to efficiency concerns.
Studies have shown that the lifespan of the flu vaccine’s protection can become a little shorter in older individuals, and may not provide adequate protection for influenza later in the flu season when it’s given very early. This can be a concern for the elderly population that is hit hard by the flu every year.
However, a waiting to vaccinate strategy, while discussed widely amongst flu and geriatric experts, has not as of yet been endorsed officially by the CDC according to Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UConn Health.
“The CDC believes that we need to get as many people as possible vaccinated as soon as possible once vaccine is available,” says Dieckhaus. “The problem is that if many people across age groups wait too long into the start of flu season, there may be higher rates of the flu virus circulating in our communities. This leads to more people becoming infected and spreading the virus to others which puts the high-risk populations of the young and old at risk. Missing an opportunity early in the season to vaccinate may very well lead to failure to vaccinate at all, or very delayed vaccination.”
He adds: “Hopefully the ongoing research of the UConn Center on Aging will one day help answer the question about when is the best timing for people to get vaccinated to have the most optimal immune response and protection throughout flu season.”
To better understand this, Dr. Laura Haynes of the UConn Center on Aging and its director Dr. George Kuchel are leading two National Institutes of Aging funded clinical trial studies to closely examine the immune response across age groups including the young and old post-flu vaccination. Haynes and her team are particularly interested in better understanding the body’s immune response in both healthy and frail older adults over the age of 65.
Haynes is actively recruiting clinical trial participants to share small blood samples prior to flu vaccination and after at 2 month, 4 month and 6 month follow-up intervals so her team can track their body’s immune response both on an overall and cellular level.
This June in the journal Oncotarget, Haynes and her UConn Center on Aging research team published their latest study findings showing that one subset of lymphocyte flu-fighting immune T-cells can have a lower function in older flu-vaccinated adults. In laboratory experiments researchers were able to bolster the function of aged T-cells by adding cytokines, which are small hormone-like molecules that can direct T-cell function. Researchers believe these findings may help lead to newly designed flu vaccines in the future to enhance T-cell immune response in older adults to help them to be better protected from the flu.
“The elderly are more severely affected by the flu as it is among the top ten causes of death in the elderly each year,” says Haynes. “The bodies of older adults have a harder time defending against the flu virus. The virus can also develop into more severe lung issues in the elderly including second-bacterial pneumonia.”
To prepare for flu season UConn Health experts recommend you:
- Get vaccinated
- Vaccinate your children
- Wash your hands frequently
- Use hand sanitizer
- Don’t put your hands near your face
- Sanitize door handles
- Stay away from those with the flu
Symptoms of the flu can include:
- Respiratory infection
- Cough
- High fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Body pain
- Fatigue
Typical treatment for the flu is:
- Prevention with vaccination
- Stay home
- Rest
- Stay in bed
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Antiviral medications via prescription
- Antibiotics via prescription if pneumonia develops
- Flu recovery can take a couple of weeks, or longer for the young and old
“If you can get a flu vaccine to prevent the virus you should,” says Haynes. “If you don’t get vaccinated you are putting everyone at risk, especially the elderly.”
To learn more or to participate in the UConn Center on Aging’s flu vaccine clinical trial studies contact Lisa Kenyon-Pesce at 860-679-2305 or kenyon-pesce@uchc.edu.
