Flu shots keep older folks out of the hospital, study says

While the flu shot can be less effective in older adults, it may protect them from developing an illness severe enough to require hospitalization, according to a new study.

Last year's flu shot reduced the risk of being hospitalized as a result of the flu by about 71 percent in adults of all ages, and 77 percent in people ages 50 and older, the study found.

The findings are "reassuring in light of recent reports that flu vaccination can be less effective in older adults," said study researcher Dr. Keipp Talbot, an infectious disease researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

A report released last month showed that the current flu shot did not do a good job of preventing older adults from catching the flu. Adults ages 65 and over who got the shot were just as likely to visit the doctor for flu symptoms as those who weren't vaccinated.

The importance of the new study is that it suggests that individuals who do get sick develop a less severe illness if they are vaccinated.

"Although flu vaccination can vary in how well it works, it’s still the best tool we have against the flu, and this study shows just how important the flu vaccine can be in preventing severe illness in older adults," said study researcher Dr. Mark Thompson, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Older adults are at greater risk for hospitalization and death from the flu. Of the 10,721 people hospitalized with flu this season, more than half were ages 65 and over.

Increasing flu vaccination rates in older adults could prevent more than one-third of flu hospitalizations each year, Talbot said.

Regardless of whether or not they've been vaccinated, older adults who develop symptoms of the flu (including fever, cough, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue) should seek medical care right away. Antiviral medications can ease flu symptoms, but they work best if they're given within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Because the new study only looked at hospitalizations for flu in Tennessee, it's not clear if the results translate to the population as a whole, but they are similar to those found in earlier studies.

The new study was published online Feb. 28 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

More from MyHealthNewsDaily:

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

6 Flu Vaccine Myths

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

6 Superbugs to Watch Out For

8 Tips for Healthy Aging