Swine flu fears push seasonal shots to record high in U.S.

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Swine flu fears push seasonal shots to record high in U.S.

Community Health Nurse Amy Beck injects a patient with H1N1 vaccine during a

flu shot program in Calgary, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. (Jeff McIntosh / THE

CANADIAN PRESS)

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The Associated Press

Date: Friday Apr. 30, 2010 8:05 AM ET

ATLANTA — Fears of swine flu helped boost vaccination for ordinary seasonal

flu last year, with a record 40 percent of adults and children getting the

vaccine, U.S. health officials said Thursday.

The jump was most dramatic in children, but vaccinations also increased in

healthy adults under 50, according to Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention researchers.

For all ages, the highest seasonal flu vaccination rate previously was about

33 percent, in the 2008-2009 season.

Flu shots have been around since the 1940s. But several things made last

fall's campaign unusual:

• Swine flu appeared last spring and was unusually dangerous to children and

young adults, prompting more interest in regular flu shots. " We do have the

pandemic driving that, " said Euler, one of the study's authors.

• Government recommendations kicked in calling for seasonal flu vaccinations

for all children.

• Seasonal vaccine was out earlier than usual so manufacturers could focus

on the separate swine flu vaccine.

Annual flu shots were recommended for roughly 85 percent of Americans during

the vaccination campaign. Those supposed to get the vaccine include

children, pregnant women, senior citizens, health care workers and people

with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung

disease.

The researchers looked at vaccinations through January. The results are

being published in a CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

People 65 and older had the highest rate, nearly 70 percent. That age group

is at highest risk for serious complications from seasonal flu.

The rate for children over 6 months increased by two-thirds, from 24 percent

to 40 percent.

The attention on swine flu was a strong motivator for people to get regular

flu shots in 2009, but it's not clear if as many people will get vaccinated

this year, said Blendon, a Harvard University public health professor

who runs polling on public attitudes about flu vaccination.

Health officials " are going to need a high level of campaigning to keep

people focused on doing this year after year, " he said.

Seasonal vaccine protects against three strains of flu virus. Next fall's

vaccine will include swine flu and not be a separate shot.

Hawaii had the highest seasonal vaccination rate, nearly 55 percent.

Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine were close behind, giving New England

the highest rate as a region.

The Southeast is at the bottom of the list; Florida, Georgia, Mississippi

and Alabama had rates under 36 percent.

States with the best vaccination rates in 2009 tend to be at the top every

year, CDC officials said. New England also has the most vaccinations against

swine flu, and the Southeast has the lowest.

This winter was an unusually quiet season for seasonal flu. Experts aren't

sure why, but believe it's possible that swine flu -- which hit the nation

in a large wave in the fall -- muscled out the other types of flu viruses.

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