Influenza

The percentage of patients who miss their chance to receive a flu vaccine at a primary care clinic rises after December, according to a recent study.

Influenza vaccination prevented an estimated 6.6 million influenza-associated illnesses and 79,000 hospitalizations during the 2012-2013 influenza season, according to a CDC report in MMWR.

The influenza vaccine administered during the 2011-2012 season had low effectiveness against influenza A(H3N2), the predominant strain seen that season.

I was disappointed by the recently published recommendations and reports on influenza by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It was an extensive document, but purposefully gave no advice on which vaccines are preferable. The committee’s statement, “No preferential recommendation is made for one influenza vaccine product over another for persons for whom more than one product is otherwise appropriate,” begs the question of what is advisable based on available information.

Antiviral prescription dispensing dates may be a suitable proxy for influenza surveillance at the local health authority level, data from a retrospective study suggest.