Over half of U.S. adults don’t plan to get the influenza vaccine this season. And one quarter of those adults are at high risk of serious flu complications, according to the results of a national poll released Thursday.
Respondents gave the following reasons for not getting vaccinated:
- 51% do not think flu vaccines work
- 34% are concerned with side effects from the vaccine
- 22% are concerned the vaccine will cause flu
The findings underscore the need for educating people at increased risk, and healthcare workers are well-positioned to do the job, said U.S. officials. In fact, the survey found that over 60% of U.S. adults trust nurses and doctors “a great deal and/or a lot” to provide accurate vaccination information.
At a Thursday press conference, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and other health officials encouraged clinicians to address vaccine misconceptions, especially among adults at high risk of flu-related hospitalization, pneumonia and death. These include people older than age 65, smokers, and those with diabetes, asthma, heart disease, or kidney disease.
“We need to insist on annual flu vaccinations for our patients with chronic health conditions,” said conference speaker William B. Borden, M.D., George Washington University.
The following responses to common misperceptions about flu and pneumococcal vaccines were provided by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases:
- Flu vaccine can vary in how well it works, but even in cases when flu vaccination does not prevent infection completely, it can reduce the severity and duration of disease and prevent serious complications.
- For more than 50 years, hundreds of millions of individuals in the United States have safely received seasonal flu vaccines.
- Pneumococcal vaccines are safe and effective; most side effects are mild, such as arm swelling or soreness, and last one or two days.
The survey, conducted by the NFID, was designed to gauge public attitudes about flu and pneumococcal disease prevention.
