SEATTLE, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As flu season approaches, Qualis Health of Seattle encourages Medicare beneficiaries to get this year’s flu shot and -- if they haven’t already done so -- the one-time pneumococcal vaccination that protects against pneumonia and pneumococcal blood-borne infections such as meningitis.
Vaccination protection against influenza usually lasts about a year. Since the flu virus continually shifts its makeup, it is necessary to get the new vaccine each year to protect against the latest flu strains, according to Les Barnette, MD, of Qualis Health, a nonprofit healthcare quality improvement organization.
Pneumococcal bacteria also change, to evolve antibiotic resistance, because of the pressure from antibiotic use. While drugs such as penicillin and some other common antibiotics were once quite effective in treating these infections, many pneumococcal bacterial types have developed increasing resistance -- which makes them harder to treat, requiring newer, more powerful antibiotics.
“People 50 years old and older as a group are statistically more susceptible to these two types of diseases because many have developed one or more chronic diseases, such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, and others, which can impair their immune systems,” Barnette said.
Barnette said influenza accounts for some 36,000 deaths per year in the United States, concentrated among the very young and those 65 and older.
Getting the flu vaccination is important in Seattle and Washington state “because we are a Pacific rim transportation and shipping hub for millions of people annually from all parts of the world, so are likely to be more exposed to influenza, including those strains originating in Asia,” Barnette said.
Although the flu season can peak anywhere from December through March, it most often peaks in February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because it takes about two weeks after the shot to develop immunity, people 50 years old and older, and others with high risk factors, should get their flu shot in October, or when the vaccine becomes available. The CDC also recommends that all adults 65 and older who haven’t yet done so, get the one-time pneumococcal vaccine, which confers long-term immunity against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. Medicare covers both vaccines without co-pay requirements.
For more information, contact Dr. Barnette of Qualis Health, 206-364-9700.
Qualis Health is a private, nonprofit organization that offers programs and services to generate, apply and disseminate knowledge to improve the quality of healthcare delivery and health outcomes. In operation since 1974, the firm has headquarters in Seattle with offices in Boise and Anchorage.
CONTACT: Robert Miskimon, +1-206-366-3371, for Qualis Health.
Qualis Health
CONTACT: Robert Miskimon, +1-206-366-3371, for Qualis Health
Web site: http://www.qualishealth.org/
