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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Older people have good reason to get an annual flu shot. A new study shows the vaccination not only keeps them out of the hospital, but may even prolong their lives.
Minnesota researchers looked at the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in people age 65 and older over 10 flu seasons. Overall, the flu shot was associated with a 27-percent lower risk of hospitalization for influenza or pneumonia and with a 48-percent lower risk of dying. The findings were only slightly lowered when the investigators used a model that took into account factors that could have confounded the results.
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Since the flu causes about 186,000 excess hospitalizations and 44,000 deaths among older people every year, researchers believe their findings support the need to step up vaccine delivery to people age 65 and over. Vaccination rates among this patient population remain well below the 2010 goal of 90 percent and dont appear to be getting any higher. Researchers say it will be up to patients, health care providers, and policymakers to renew efforts to improve the delivery of current influenza vaccines to this high-priority group.
Hospitalizations and deaths will be prevented if we can succeed, write the authors.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2007;357:1371-1381
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