Past Feature Article

Keep Healthy This Flu Season- Receive your Flu Vaccine!

By: Phillip James, Rite Aid Pharmacist and Diabetes Care Specialist in Lavonia, Georgia

When most people think of fall, they think of landscape ablaze with color, cooler weather and perhaps football or the World Series. Few people think of cold and Flu season also being upon us.

Fall is the season high risk individuals should begin preparing themselves for the upcoming influenza and pneumonia seasons. People with diabetes are not only at a higher risk for acquiring both influenza and pneumonia, but also for experiencing complications from these illnesses¹. Immunizations are the most effective way to reduce the risk of getting the flu and pneumonia^3,4. Even more importantly, however, these vaccines prevent the flu and pneumococcal disease from getting too serious and resulting in other complications, or even death. Most people receiving vaccinations don't feel quite as bad as they would have otherwise and usually do not need to go to the hospital. The flu can be very serious for people with diabetes and other chronic medical conditions. Each year, an estimated an estimated 114,000 Americans are hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 Americans die from complications of flu^2,4.

For these reasons, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that everyone with diabetes over the age of 6 months receive the influenza vaccine and everyone with diabetes over the age of 2 receive the pneumococcal vaccine^1,4,5. The flu vaccine is needed every year since immunity to the influenza virus decreases throughout the year following vaccination. Since the flu is very contagious, caregivers and anyone living in the same household as a person with diabetes should also be vaccinated^1,4. The pneumococcal vaccine, on the other hand, needs to only be given once in a lifetime. A second dose of pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for people who are 65 years or older if they were previously immunized when they were less than 65 years old and more than 5 years ago⁵.

The flu vaccine is now available in two forms: an injectible "flu shot" and a nasal-spray vaccine. The main difference between the two types is that the flu shot contains killed or inactivated virus, and the nasal-spray contains weakened live virus. At the present time, the nasal-spray vaccine is only indicated for healthy people 5 years to 49 years. People with diabetes still need to receive the injectible form, as there might be a very small chance of acquiring the flu from the nasal-spray vaccine⁴.

Since the injectible flu vaccine only contains killed virus, it is not possible to get the flu from the flu shot. After the flu shot is given the body does take a few weeks for the immune system to build up enough antibodies to protect it from the flu. During that time period, it is possible for a person to develop the flu, if they were previously exposed. As a Rite Aid Pharmacist, I tell my patients to try to obtain the flu shot as early as possible to help minimize this occurrence.

Both the flu and pneumococcal vaccines are very safe; the most common side effects include soreness or redness where the shot was given, muscle ache, or a low grade fever^4,5. The only people who should not receive the flu vaccine are those with a severe allergy to eggs⁴. An egg allergy is not a contradiction to receiving the pneumococcal vaccine.

As you start making plans for the fall season by catching a ball game, traveling to view the changing leaves, or just enjoying the cooler weather, remember to place vaccinations for influenza and pneumococcal disease on your fall "to do list". Rite Aid will be offering these vaccinations at select stores throughout the country this fall. Check out (include link) or call 1-800-RITEAID for a Rite Aid flu clinic near you.

References

American Diabetes Association: Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunization in Diabetes (Position Statement). Diabetes Care. 2004; 27: S111-S113.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Key Facts About the Flu: Overview. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm. Accessed September 15, 2004.
Smith SA, Poland GA. The use of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in people with diabetes (Technical Review). Diabetes Care. 2000; 23: 95-108.
CDC: Prevention and control of influenza: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 2004; 53: 1-40.
CDC: Prevention of pneumococcal disease: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 1997; 46: 1-24.