High Dose Influenza Vaccine Leads to Lower Rate of Hospitalization From Respiratory Illnesses in Nursing Home Residents
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterCLEVELAND – In the largest nursing home study to date on the effect of a high dose (HD) flu vaccine, researchers found that vaccines with four times the antigen of standard flu (SD) vaccines significantly reduced the risk of respiratory and all-cause hospitalization during flu season. The study found a 12.7 percent relative reduction in the incidence of hospitalization for respiratory illness, such as pneumonia, and an 8.5 percent reduction of all-cause hospitalizations among residents on Medicare who lived at nursing homes that received HD instead of SD flu vaccines. The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.