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November 13, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Lapses Seen in Flu Shots for the Elderly"

Boston Globe (www.boston.com/globe) (11/11/02) P. A4; Tanner, Lindsey

A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that, nationwide, more than 95 percent of Medicare recipients hospitalized in 1998 and 1999 were not immunized against influenza or pneumonia during their stays, contrary to vaccination guidelines.  National data suggests that only half of adults over age 64 have received the pneumococcal vaccine and that just 65 percent get annual flu vaccinations.  The federal government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that adults get both vaccinations if they are hospitalized.  Dr. Dale W. Bratzler of the Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality says that hospitals should add vaccination to routine inpatient treatment, but Vanderbilt University infectious diseases specialist Dr. William Schaffner counters that Medicare reimbursement for vaccinations is so low that it often does not cover the cost of administering immunizations and he notes that hospital staff are already busy just treating the patient's underlying condition.

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