Vaccination recommendations for respiratory disease season

Maureen Tierney, MD, and Anne O’Keefe, MD, from the School of Medicine Department of Clinical Research and Public Health, have shared their and CDC recommendations for influenza, COVID-19, RSV and pertussis vaccinations to help people stay healthy as we approach respiratory disease season.

Influenza

The CDC has released its annual recommendations for influenza vaccination. Key points include:

• Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people at higher risk of serious complications from influenza, especially:
  • Those under 2 but over 6 months
  • Those over 65
  • Those with underlying medical conditions including immunocompromise, pregnancy, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary conditions
  • Those who are pregnant
• Flu vaccination has important benefits, including reducing flu illnesses, doctor's visits, missed work and school, and flu-related hospitalizations and deaths
• Different flu vaccines are approved for different age groups:
  • Several flu shots are approved for people 6 months and older
  • Two are approved only for adults 65 years and older
  • The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for people 2-49 years old, but not for pregnant people or those with certain medical conditions
• For adults 65 and older, three flu vaccines are preferentially recommended: Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent and Fluad Quadrivalent
• Flu vaccinations for students, faculty and staff can be obtained for free at the Shoo the Flu clinics on campus

COVID-19

We are experiencing a significant increase in COVID-19 illnesses nationwide. CDC recommendations include:

• Everyone 6 months and older should get a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine
• The vaccine helps protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death

It's important to stay up to date with vaccination because:

• Protection decreases over time
• Vaccines are updated to provide the best protection against current strains

Getting the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:

• Have never received a COVID-19 vaccine
• Are 65 years or older
• Are at high risk for severe COVID-19
• Live in a long-term care facility
• Are pregnant, breastfeeding or might become pregnant
• Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID

RSV

CDC recommendations for RSV vaccination have changed slightly:

• RSV vaccines are recommended for all adults 75 years and older
• For adults 60-74 years, vaccination is recommended if you:
  • Have chronic heart or lung disease
  • Have a weakened immune system
  • Have certain other medical conditions, including severe obesity and severe diabetes
  • Live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility

The RSV vaccine is given as a single dose and is not an annual vaccine. If you received an RSV vaccine last year, you don’t need another dose this year.

Pertussis

Cases of pertussis (whooping cough) are increasing, likely due to a drop in vaccination rates for combined tetanus-pertussis vaccination in the very young and very old. Discuss with your doctor whether you are up to date on your tetanus and pertussis vaccinations. Babies and their grandparents are often sources of infection for each other and are at risk for severe disease. Vaccination is a crucial way to stay healthy throughout the upcoming winter months.