High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better for Frail Elderly

For frail older people living in long-term care, a high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine is a better option than the standard drug, researchers are reporting. In a randomized, single-blind trial over two flu seasons, the higher dose gave better immune responses to four out of five strains contained in the vaccines, according to David Nace, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues. The high-dose vaccine has been approved for older adults, but this is first trial to see how well it works among adults in relatively poor health, Nace and colleagues reported online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatrics/Vaccines/49198