PERSONAL HEALTH : Early Vaccination May Foil the Flu

This year’s flu season is not expected to be unusually severe. But don’t rest easy yet.

Predicting flu seasons is not unlike gazing into crystal balls. Public health officials know this and continue to urge susceptible people to take their flu shots as soon as possible.

“The earlier the better,” said Dr. Shirley Fannin, associate deputy in charge of disease control for Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

“Getting the shots in October or November is the best idea,” Fannin said. That’s because peak flu months are usually December and January, and the vaccine can take four days to two weeks to become effective, she explained.

Most vulnerable to influenza, a viral infection of the respiratory tract, are older people, those with chronic ailments and nursing home residents. County guidelines urge these high-risk persons and those age 55 and older to get the shot; federal guidelines suggest the vaccine for high-risk persons and those 65 and older.

Fear of a reaction to the shot is often cited as a reason to bypass the immunization, said Dr. Allan Abbott , a USC associate professor of family medicine.

“Some people feel the reaction they will have to the flu shot is as bad as the flu. That’s not true,” added Abbott, citing a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

In that study, more than 300 elderly persons were given injections of flu vaccine and, two weeks later, injections of saline, or vice-versa. The subjects didn’t know which injection they were receiving. In follow-up interviews, there was no difference in side effects reported after the vaccine and after the placebo. Side effects were minimal after both injections, and 94% of the patients felt their health was the same or better the week after receiving the vaccine.

Fear of reactions isn’t the only excuse for bypassing the vaccine, Abbott finds. Some people believe they can skip the shot this year if they had the flu last year, reasoning that their body has built up immunity. Don’t bet on it.

Even patients who take the flu shot can’t be entirely certain of protection. This year’s vaccine protects against two types of influenza “A” and the one type of influenza “B” expected to be prevalent this year. But there’s always the possibility of a new virus cropping up, Fannin said.

“Generally a ‘bad’ flu season occurs after a brand-new virus is introduced during Asian flu season,” she said.