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<p>Did you know there are flu shots specifically designed for older adults?</p><p>According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 70 to 85 percent of influenza-related deaths and 54 to 70 percent of flu-related hospitalizations during previous flu seasons have occurred among people in the 65-and-older age group.</p><p>So, it makes sense that immunologists would craft vaccines that would improve chances for people in that population to fend off and fight the flu.</p><p>One of the available options is called Fluad. Fluad is a standard-dose flu vaccine made with an inactivated form of the virus and a component called an adjuvant. An adjuvant is simply a substance that strengthens the body&#8217;s immune response to a foreign substance, in this case, flu antigens. The adjuvant in Fluad is called squalene, and it is a naturally occurring compound found in plants and animals, including humans.</p><p>Another vaccine is designed to accomplish the same type of boosted immune response, but it does so by utilizing a high dose &#8212; four times that of a standard-dose vaccine &#8212; of flu antigen. An added benefit of improving protective immune response without using high doses of antigen is that it can allow more vaccine to be manufactured, increasing the supply available to serve the population. While no studies have been conducted comparing high-dose vaccine to Fluad, existing data does suggest Fluad is more effective than regular standard-dose vaccine in older patients.</p><p>The CDC&#8217;s only recommendation is that everyone older than 6 months gets vaccinated against influenza before the peak of each flu season, and the earlier the better. In other words, while Fluad may be more effective for folks age 65 and beyond, it shouldn&#8217;t stop them from getting a regular standard-dose flu vaccine if that is what is available when they go for their shot.</p><p>Flu vaccination, the CDC maintains, is the primary and most vital line of defense against the flu. And it&#8217;s important to remember that these vaccines, produced with inactivated forms of the virus, cannot give you influenza. After the vaccine is administered, mild to moderate reactions can occur during the body&#8217;s immune response, but they are usually limited to low-grade fever, headache and muscle ache, and they are always temporary.</p><p>The risk of benign side effects is worth the reward of protection against the flu, which is at best a multi-day stint in bed and at worst a deadly virus. Since those 65 and older are at higher risk for major complication or hospitalization related to the flu, it&#8217;s especially important for them to be vaccinated.</p><p>Specially prepared vaccines for those of us who are 65 and older are distributed wherever flu shots are offered across Geisinger&#8217;s sites. All Geisinger primary care offices administer the flu shot. Most offices are open until 7 p.m. All Geisinger Careworks urgent care centers offer the vaccine with no appointment necessary and during Super Saturday Flu Vaccine Day events, select Geisinger community medicine and pediatrics clinics offer flu shots from 9 a.m. to noon, no appointments needed. The last of three Super Saturdays will take place on Nov. 23.</p><p>It&#8217;s best that we all get vaccinated against the flu this year. If you&#8217;re 65 and older, it&#8217;s particularly important; please get your flu shot. You&#8217;re not only protecting yourself, you&#8217;re protecting everyone in your community, especially those whose immune systems may make them more susceptible to the flu than the average, healthy person.</p><p>Congratulations to two really great friends of mine who have been skeptical about flu vaccines for years but finally did get protected this year. Great work! Enjoy Florida and stay well!</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Casale </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_casale_edit-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Casale </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Alfred Casale</p><p>To Your Health</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is associate chief medical officer for Geisinger and chair of the Geisinger Heart Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@www.timesleader.com. For a free heart risk assessment, visit geisinger.org/heartrisk.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dr. Casale: An extra line of defense against the flu