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SUMMARY

• People over age 50 should get the seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it’s available

• Many older people have some immunity to the H1N1 “swine flu” virus

• CDC’s list of priority groups for H1N1 vaccine has people age 65 and older last.

Public health officials are scrambling to prepare the nation for what promises to be a challenging double whammy of a flu season, with two types of flu—the novel H1N1, or so-called swine flu, and the usual seasonal influenza—in circulation, each entailing its own vaccine, targeted at different sets of high-risk groups.

Although it causes the same fever, lethargy, coughing and sniffles as seasonal flu, the H1N1 virus, first identified in April as swine flu, stands out from its more familiar cousin in several ways. First, the H1N1 virus has continued to spread during the warm summer months, an indication that many Americans have little or no immunity to it. Second, the new flu has struck hard among teenagers and young adults, causing a spate of outbreaks at schools and summer camps, while all but entirely sparing older people, the group most likely to develop dangerous and even lethal complications from seasonal flu.

On Monday, the White House released a report by a presidential advisory group saying that while the 2009 H1N1 flu so far appears to be no more deadly than seasonal flu, it’s so highly contagious that it’s possible as many as half of all Americans may contract the novel bug this fall and winter. Up to 90,000 people—mostly young adults, children and people with underlying conditions—could die.

Seasonal flu shot in September

Manufacturers of seasonal flu vaccine began shipping the first doses to health care providers in late July, so the shot will be available in many communities by September. Though no shortage is anticipated, demand may be up this year, so it’s a good idea to get the vaccine early [see Resources]. Immunization campaigns at workplaces and public health clinics—traditionally launched in October—may get under way sooner as providers try to clear the decks for an H1N1 shot, which won’t be available until October, according to health officials.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines call for more than 80 percent of the population to get a seasonal flu shot. For the first time this year, the CDC recommends every child six months to 18 years of age receive one.

But people age 50 and older have long been a top priority for seasonal-flu vaccination, with those 65 and older especially at risk. “We really want people 65 and older to know how important this [seasonal] influenza vaccine is,” Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a recent press briefing. “As soon as it is available, it’s a good thing to get.”

Who should get the H1N1 shot?

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