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Elderly urged to get flu vaccine despite research
The Press | Friday, 07 March 2008
New Zealand's leading flu expert says all elderly people should get a winter jab this year despite new international research showing the benefits are "greatly exaggerated".
A United States study published this week in the Lancet medical journal said there was not enough evidence to support the huge resources put into vaccination campaigns.
The George Washington University study said the benefits of flu vaccination in the elderly were "greatly exaggerated", and deaths had risen since 1980 despite an increase in the number of elderly given vaccinations.
It recommended vaccination be continued but more research be done to clarify how effective flu vaccines were.
A study published this week in the British Medical Journal disputes the effectiveness of flu vaccines, saying its findings warrant an urgent review of universally funded vaccines in Britain.
New Zealand's Ministry of Health spends more than $10 million annually on free flu jabs for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children.
Christchurch-based world virology expert Dr Lance Jennings said that despite the findings of the two latest research studies, there was plenty of evidence to suggest flu injections were beneficial.
One study found that injecting those aged over 65 with flu vaccines cut deaths by 68 per cent and hospital admissions by 50 per cent, he said.
The trend worldwide was for the extension of free flu vaccination programmes, Jennings said. New Zealand's free vaccination programme would be reviewed within the next three years and may be widened to include other groups, he said.
The threat of a bird flu pandemic meant more research and debate was being generated on the issue of flu vaccinations, he said.
This meant greater scrutiny of vaccines' effectiveness.
A lot of studies were biased because they assessed only the progress of patients given flu vaccines and not those given placebos, he said.
It was deemed unethical to expose frail elderly to influenza and give them a placebo treatment.
The introduction of antivirals, such as Tamiflu, meant more robust research could be done as those given a placebo injection could be treated immediately.
This year's flu vaccine would arrive in New Zealand by the end of this month, Jennings said.
The Press | Friday, 07 March 2008
New Zealand's leading flu expert says all elderly people should get a winter jab this year despite new international research showing the benefits are "greatly exaggerated".
A United States study published this week in the Lancet medical journal said there was not enough evidence to support the huge resources put into vaccination campaigns.
The George Washington University study said the benefits of flu vaccination in the elderly were "greatly exaggerated", and deaths had risen since 1980 despite an increase in the number of elderly given vaccinations.
It recommended vaccination be continued but more research be done to clarify how effective flu vaccines were.
A study published this week in the British Medical Journal disputes the effectiveness of flu vaccines, saying its findings warrant an urgent review of universally funded vaccines in Britain.
New Zealand's Ministry of Health spends more than $10 million annually on free flu jabs for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children.
Christchurch-based world virology expert Dr Lance Jennings said that despite the findings of the two latest research studies, there was plenty of evidence to suggest flu injections were beneficial.
One study found that injecting those aged over 65 with flu vaccines cut deaths by 68 per cent and hospital admissions by 50 per cent, he said.
The trend worldwide was for the extension of free flu vaccination programmes, Jennings said. New Zealand's free vaccination programme would be reviewed within the next three years and may be widened to include other groups, he said.
The threat of a bird flu pandemic meant more research and debate was being generated on the issue of flu vaccinations, he said.
This meant greater scrutiny of vaccines' effectiveness.
A lot of studies were biased because they assessed only the progress of patients given flu vaccines and not those given placebos, he said.
It was deemed unethical to expose frail elderly to influenza and give them a placebo treatment.
The introduction of antivirals, such as Tamiflu, meant more robust research could be done as those given a placebo injection could be treated immediately.
This year's flu vaccine would arrive in New Zealand by the end of this month, Jennings said.
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