Fight the flu: Why vaccines matter especially for seniors
MANILA, Philippines — We may be seeing a light at the end of this long and difficult night that is the global pandemic, in the recovery of many different sectors in the economy and by seeing children out and about once more, after nearly two years locked down at home. It is important to note, however, that we should always keep ourselves as safe as possible, and do everything we can to ensure that we do not get sick, and that our loved ones are protected.
Given the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unpredictability of the influenza (flu) virus, flu vaccination could be more important than ever in the 2021/22 flu season. It can protect the most vulnerable people and prevent health systems from becoming overburdened. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced challenges that could hamper delivery and uptake of flu vaccines among priority groups, namely our seniors.
I invited on my show, "Pamilya Talk," infectious diseases expert Dr. Remedios Coronel, earlier this week to talk about the importance of getting our seniors vaccinated against the flu.
Flu figures
In a typical year, there are an estimated a billion cases of flu and up to 650,000 flu-related deaths globally.
Flu is most serious for older people, pregnant women, young children, and people with underlying health conditions; many of these groups are also the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Flu transmission was low during the 2020/21 flu season, with few people being infected thanks to behavioral changes intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Because of this, the 2021/22 flu season may be more severe as most people have not been exposed to the flu for over a year, thereby lowering the population’s natural immunity.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the annual flu vaccine has averted between 39,000 and 105,000 hospitalizations, and between 3,500 and 12,000 deaths each year since 2010. Population immunity will be lower in years where the vaccine is not well matched to the dominant circulating strains, but the vaccine still offers some protection that results in less severe illness among those who were vaccinated but still got the flu.
As shared by Dr. Coronel, many studies have shown that vaccination against the flu strengthens our immune system, which as we all know is the first line of defense against COVID-19. Seeing as how the flu accounts for 5.09 deaths per 100,000 persons, and the mortality rate is the highest for those who are aged 60 and above, we cannot let our loved ones forego this integral vaccine.
Vax facts
Only 3 in 10 are aware of the flu vaccine for older people while 4 in 10 are aware of pneumococcal vaccine. There is also a low percentage of older people who have been inoculated with either flu or pneumococcal vaccines. Only 36% have been vaccinated against influenza since they reached the age of 60. This means that a mere 10% of the population 60 years and over in the country have protection against the seasonal flu strain at the time they had the vaccine.
If we recall, they are the generation who saw polio paralysis first hand. Perhaps by reminding them it is their duty to the country to get protected, as well as to their families and themselves, the same way that the urgency of the polio vaccine was communicated to them all those years ago, we will hopefully see more adoption of flu vaccine as part of our seniors’ arsenal against falling ill.
Since we are in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic, seniors can get their COVID vaccine first followed by flu and pneumococcal vaccines. Dr. Coronel and other experts also recommend that seniors wait at least two weeks after their COVID vaccine to get another vaccine; not because of adverse effects, as per several immunologists, but because of efficacy. Unlike the COVID vaccine, you won't experience any side effects after getting the flu vaccine. If ever, it would just be redness on the area where you were injected, which will subside within the same day.
The approved flu vaccines in the country have undergone rigorous evaluation and examination, proving to effectively develop antibodies that can fight common viruses causing flu. Getting a flu vaccine is the first and best way to diminish the risk of getting the disease and spreading it to others. Flu vaccinations have been associated with the reduced rate of hospitalization and in deaths from influenza and its complications.
Public health
In 2011, the Department of Health (DOH) launched a free influenza and pneumococcal vaccination program for indigent senior citizens in the country. Four years later, this vaccination program was expanded to cover all seniors under the National Policy on Health and Wellness Program for Senior Citizens (HWPSC), which aims to prevent functional decline and disease in old age (DOH Administrative Order No. 2015-0009). Dr. Lynnette Gemperle, Chief of the Integrated Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Office of the Manila Health Department, said this is just one of the ways that seniors can get their flu vaccines, though companies also usually sponsor vaccination drives for their employees and their families on a yearly basis.
There is no need to get the flu vaccine more than once a year, it won’t take more than an hour of out of your day, and there are no side effects. So I’m personally appealing to everyone with seniors in their homes and in their families: please help them get vaccinated against the flu.
This handy infographic from the Centers for Disease Control in the US may help.
As a people, when we visit our elders and greet them with respect, we offer our foreheads to their hands for a blessing. We sit by their sides, supporting their weight against our own, and holding their hands during Holy Mass.
We must act now. The flu season is in full swing, and if we want to protect our families during the upcoming holiday, please check out the health centers nearest you for schedules regarding senior vaccination for flu and pneumococcal disease, and help out the ones who cared for us when we were very small and unable to care for ourselves.
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