Older adults who receive the influenza vaccine in consecutive flu seasons are less likely to die from severe cases of the virus, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
For the study, researchers analyzed flu vaccination data on patients over age 65 admitted to 20 hospitals in Spain from 2013 through 2015 with severe and non-severe cases of the flu. In total, the analysis included 130 patients with severe flu cases and 598 patients with non-severe cases.
Compared to individuals who went unvaccinated over the previous three flu seasons, those admitted to the hospital who were vaccinated in the most recent and a previous flu season within the study timeframe were 55 percent less likely to experience severe flu, 65 percent less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit for the flu and 56 percent less likely to die as a result of the virus.
"Repeated vaccination for influenza was highly effective in preventing severe and fatal infection caused by influenza in older adults," concluded the study's authors. "[T]he effectiveness of vaccination against severe influenza may be greater than that for mild cases, and the benefit of influenza vaccination may be greater than that estimated in previous studies. The prevention of severe and fatal infection caused by influenza was observed mainly in patients who were vaccinated in both the current and previous seasons, which reinforces the recommendation of annual vaccination for influenza in older adults."
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