{"id":84640,"date":"2013-10-22T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-22T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=84640"},"modified":"2015-12-14T11:18:04","modified_gmt":"2015-12-14T16:18:04","slug":"flu-shot-options-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/10\/flu-shot-options-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Flu Shot Options Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Laura
Laura Haynes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s true, the formula for the seasonal flu vaccine is based on best guesses as to which strains of the virus are most likely to cause problems this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it\u2019s not an exact match of what\u2019s going to go around, it\u2019s still better than not getting it,\u201d says Laura Haynes<\/a>, a professor of immunology at the UConn Health Center and researcher in the UConn Center on Aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s also true, she emphasizes, is, \u201cYou cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine!\u201d<\/p>\n

That goes for all versions of the vaccine, and there are a number of options available this flu season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re beginning to find ways to improve vaccines,\u201d says Haynes, whose expertise is in T cell biology and the role T cells, which are vital components of the body\u2019s immune system, play in response to flu. \u201cIf I\u2019m looking at one small aspect of T cell function in a mouse model that may to a layperson seem insignificant, it is important in developing new vaccines for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haynes is involved in research from a National Institutes of Health program grant that includes study of human cells in vitro, or outside the body, at the UConn Health Center. Also part of the grant are clinical trials of vaccines, taking place in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n

Of particular concern to Haynes and her collaborators is the threat influenza can pose to the elderly population.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the response to both the vaccination and infection is reduced with age, the infection goes on longer in older people, and there\u2019s more inflammation,\u201d Haynes says. \u201cThat\u2019s what sets you up for serious complications, like pneumonia and even stroke. It exacerbates cardiac events.\u201d<\/p>\n

One form of the vaccine now available is a high-dose version, shown in clinical trials to be more effective than its standard counterpart in preventing influenza in adults 65 and older.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe high-dose has a higher concentration of the flu proteins, and it has been shown to induce a bit of a better response in older people,\u201d Haynes says. \u201cSometimes if you give more protein, it works better. It\u2019s just the immune system in older people is somewhat sluggish. It doesn\u2019t work as well as it does in younger people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Employee<\/a>
Health Center staff, students, volunteers, residents and contract workers may attend one of several flu clinics being held in October and November. (Carolyn Pennington\/UConn Health Center Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The traditional standard flu shot is known as trivalent, meaning it contains proteins from three inactive strains of the virus. A quadrivalent shot, based on four strains, is new this year. So is what\u2019s known as the recombinant influenza vaccine, ideal for those with egg allergies. Eggs are used in production of the standard flu shot. The recombinant flu shot is licensed for ages 18 to 49.<\/p>\n

An intradermal vaccine, which instead of the familiar needle into the muscle delivers the flu shot with a much smaller needle into the skin, debuted in 2011.<\/p>\n

The most effective form of the vaccine for those ages 6 to 49 may be the one delivered by nasal spray rather than needle, known as live attenuated. It contains four strains of the virus, but unlike its injectable counterparts, those strains are not killed in the production process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does have a live virus in it, but as the name also implies, it\u2019s attenuated, which means it can\u2019t live anywhere other than your nose,\u201d Haynes says. \u201cOnce it gets into your body, it\u2019s too warm for the virus to replicate. So it replicates in your nose and you get a little immune response that\u2019s protective. That\u2019s the one that\u2019s probably going to give you the best protection, especially if you\u2019re a fairly flu-na\u00efve person, like children are. The live attenuated was a very good progression in development of influenza vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haynes recommends consulting your physician to determine which form of the vaccine is best for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we don\u2019t have yet is a universal vaccine,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are many people working on that. Maybe within the next few years we\u2019ll have something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends some form of the flu vaccine for everyone older than 6 months. The CDC identifies those age 65 and older, age 2 and younger, pregnant women, and anyone with chronic medical conditions to be at most risk for complications from seasonal flu.<\/p>\n

\u201cYounger people should get their flu vaccine too,\u201d Haynes says. \u201cEven if you\u2019re young and don\u2019t care if you get the flu, you can still spread it around and give it to others. It\u2019s a matter of public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

To generate data that could contribute to the advancement of effective vaccines against influenza and other infectious diseases in older people, the UConn Center on Aging is seeking volunteers ages 20 to 25, 50 to 65, and 66 to 90 for a research study. It includes standard flu vaccinations and monetary compensation. Call 860-679-3043 for more information.<\/p>\n

\n

Follow\u00a0the UConn Health Center<\/a> on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a> and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laura Haynes from the UConn Center on Aging explains how different versions of the influenza vaccine give us more of a fighting chance against the flu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":85028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[57,2010],"class_list":["post-84640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uconn-health","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-22 02:05:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84640"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107169,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84640\/revisions\/107169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/85028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84640"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=84640"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}