The following information is taken directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website:
The CDC established National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) in 2005 to highlight the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond. (1)
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. People of every age, including people in good health, are at risk of flu. Flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands or tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States. (2)
Elders
It has been recognized for many years that people 65 years and older are at greater risk of serious complications from the flu compared with young, healthy adults because human immune defenses become weaker with age. While flu seasons can vary in severity, during most seasons, people 65 years and older bear the greatest burden of severe flu disease. In recent years, for example, it’s estimated that between 71 percent and 85 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths have occurred in people 65 years and older and between 54 percent and 70 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations have occurred among people in that age group. So influenza is often quite serious for people 65 and older. (3)
American Indian and Alaska Natives
Vaccination against influenza (flu) is especially important for American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are at higher risk for complications from the flu. Compared to the general U.S. population, American Indians and Alaska Natives are more likely to be hospitalized from the flu than the general U.S. population. Experts aren’t sure exactly why, but reasons that these populations are at high risk of flu complications could include social and economic factors that often result in reduced access to health care and crowded living conditions. (4)
Resources
For more information about NIVW and flu vaccinations, visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/nivw/about.htm
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, November 20). About National Influenza Vaccination Week. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/nivw/about.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, November 20). 2017 National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) Key Messages. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/nivw/nivw-key-points.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, November 07). What You Should Know and Do this Flu Season If You Are 65 Years and Older. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/65over.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, November 23). American Indians, Alaska Natives, and the Flu. Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/features/aianflu/index.html
Leave a Reply