Infection Prevention: Influenza Vaccination for LTCF Residents
All long-term care residents should receive annual influenza vaccination
A systematic review of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in long-term care residents (1) found that when residents were vaccinated with a vaccine that matched outbreak strains:
- Influenza-like illnesses were reduced 23%
- Hospital admission was reduced 45%
- Death from influenza or pneumonia was reduced 42%
- All cause mortality was reduced 60%
In another study of vaccine effectiveness in persons over the age of 55 years by Fleming and colleagues (2), influenza vaccination was shown to be:
- 30-40% effective in preventing clinical illness
- 50-60% effective in preventing hospitalization from influenza
- 75% effective in preventing death from influenza
Influenza vaccination rates need to be improved
One goal of the Healthy People 2010 project is to achieve a 90% immunization rate in targeted groups such as residents of long-term care facilities. In 1999, CDC data (3) showed that 66% of institutionalized adults had received influenza vaccination in the prior year.
References:
1. T. Jefferson, D. Rivetti, A. Rivetti et al. Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines in elderly people: a systematic review. The Lancet 2005; 366(9492):1165-1174.
2. Fleming DM, Watson JM, Nicholas S, et al. Study of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the elderly in the epidemic of 1989-90 using a general practice database. Epidemiology and Infection 1995;115:581-9.
3. CDC data
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