For older adults, a high-dose flu vaccine may better boost the immune response to the flu virus.
“The elderly living in long-term care facilities have higher influenza exposure risks, lower immune defenses and a much greater likelihood of flu-related death than the general population,” said lead author David A. Nace, M.D., M.P.H., director of long-term care and flu programs in Pitt’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and chief medical officer for UPMC Senior Communities. “For these reasons, we need more effective flu vaccine options for frail, older adults.”
