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High-dose flu jab prevents hospitalisation

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High-dose flu jab prevents hospitalisation

High-dose flu jabs for elderly?

A high-dose flu vaccine, which was four times stronger than the standard jab, reduced the risk that elderly people would be hospitalised during the influenza season, according to research presented at a recent Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting in San Diego.

The study included 53,035 patients aged at least 65 years from 823 nursing homes in the US who were immunised during the 2013/14 season. After adjusting for confounders, the risk of hospitalisation was 7 per cent lower among those receiving the high-dose vaccine compared to the standard dose (19.7 versus 20.9 per cent), a statistically significant difference.

To prevent one hospitalisation, 81 residents needed to receive the high-dose vaccine. No significant differences in mortality or functional decline emerged.

“Flu in a nursing home population is a major cause of hospitalisations,” said lead author Stefan Gravenstein from University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland. “In addition to pneumonia, flu can contribute to heart attacks, heart failure and strokes, especially in an older nursing home population where it can easily spread among residents.”

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