Requirements that need to be met before the elderly receive influenza vaccine

Influenza vaccine needs to be done every year to prevent transmission of the disease, especially for those who are susceptible to infection, such as the elderly. Of course, there are health requirements that must be met by the elderly in order to get the influenza vaccine.

The goal is that vaccines can be more effective. In addition, the risk of side effects after vaccination is also reduced. So, what are the conditions?

Health conditions that allow vaccines to be administered

Before entering into the requirements that must be met so that the elderly can get the influenza vaccine, it is better to know first who is recommended to receive this vaccine.

Quoting Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are certain groups that need to receive influenza vaccines on a regular basis. They are:

• Children 6 months to 5 years old
• Pregnant women
• Elderly (aged 65 years globally, 60 years in Indonesia)
• Patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, and lung disease
• People with weak immune systems
• People who travel a lot
• Medical personnel

The CDC pays special attention to the elderly, because about 70-90 percent of deaths from influenza occur in this group. That is why influenza is considered a threat to the health of the elderly.

Basically, there are no specific requirements that need to be met by the elderly to get the influenza vaccine. Elderly who want to get vaccines only have to maintain their health and always live a healthy lifestyle.

Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Medical Gerontology, Prof. Dr. dr. Siti Setiati, SpPD, K-Ger, stated that the nutritional status of the elderly has proven to play an important role in supporting the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine.

"If their nutritional status is good and their lifestyle is healthy, the elderly's immune system will be stronger so that the vaccine will be more effective," he explained in an interview with the Hello Sehat team in Kuningan, South Jakarta, Friday (05/07).

Risks and side effects of influenza vaccine for the elderly

Source: Reader's Digest

As long as the requirements for good nutritional status and a healthy lifestyle are met, giving influenza vaccine will not pose a risk to the health of the elderly. The body of the elderly may react to the components of the vaccine, but the reaction is very natural.

The most common reactions after vaccination are pain and swelling at the injection site. Some people also experience fever, dizziness, and muscle aches. However, once again, this was a normal response that would disappear within a few days.

Cases of severe reactions to influenza vaccination are very rare. Usually, reactions will occur because the vaccine recipient does not know that their immune system is susceptible to a vaccine component.

Apart from the elderly who are sick, those who do not qualify for the influenza vaccine are usually people with the following conditions:

• Severe allergy to egg protein in vaccines.
• Allergy to vaccine components, such as antibiotics, gelatin, and so on.
• Have had a severe reaction to a previous vaccination.
• Have had a disease Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) before vaccination. GBS is a disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis.

The health requirements for administering influenza vaccines for the elderly aim to optimize the function of the vaccine, but not to prevent such severe reactions. So, the elderly who want to get the vaccine should first consult a doctor.

However, the risk of side effects arising from the influenza vaccine is not worth the benefits that will be obtained. "One vaccine side effect will not be able to beat a hundred benefits," said dr. Siti at the same opportunity.

He also added that vaccination will help people who do not receive the vaccine because of the above conditions avoid this disease. When a healthy elderly person receives a vaccine, it also has a role in building immunity for those around him.

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