Flu Vaccines Arriving During August

Prevent getting the flu by getting a vaccination early, says the CDC
(Vax-Before-Travel News)

A leading vaccine manufacturer announced the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the 2017-2018 influenza ("flu") season.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single best way to prevent the flu is to get an annual flu vaccination.

The CDC recommends receiving the vaccine as soon as it is available to help with prevention even before the season begins. Moreover, the CDC reports people 65 years of age and older account for up to 85% of flu-related deaths.

Sanofi Pasteur announced widespread vaccine shipments will begin in early August of Fluzone Quadrivalent, Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine to health care provider offices, pharmacies and other immunizers to support immunization campaigns.

David P. Greenberg, M.D., Associate Vice President and Regional Medical Head North America, Sanofi Pasteur said, "Influenza can be especially severe for the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, young children and those with compromised immune systems.”

According to CDC, pandemic influenza outbreaks in the 20th Century left tens of millions of people dead and cost hundreds of billions of dollars in lost lives, wages, productivity and economic devastation.

The CDC reports most people who get the flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs, and will recover in less than two weeks.

As the single largest provider of influenza vaccine to the United States, Sanofi Pasteur provides a wide range of influenza vaccines. The Fluzone vaccine portfolio includes:

  • Fluzone High-Dose vaccine, the first influenza vaccine designed specifically for people 65 years of age and older. During the 2016-2017 season, about 60 percent of adults 65 years of age and older who were vaccinated in the United States received Fluzone High-Dose vaccine.
  • Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine helps protect against four influenza strains (two A strains and two B strains) and is the first four-strain influenza vaccine licensed for use in people six months of age and older.
  • Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine, the first intradermal influenza vaccine for adults 18-64 years of age, offers four-strain protection using a 90 percent smaller, 1.5 mm microneedle.

For more information about Fluzone Quadrivalent, Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent, or Fluzone High-Dose vaccine, talk to your health care professional or pharmacist.

The CDC Vaccine Price Lists includes the private sector vaccine prices for general information.

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Article by
Don Hackett