When more adults under the age of 65 get their flu shots, they are not only protecting themselves from influenza, but are also protecting the elderly, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Researchers examined the association between flu vaccination rates for adults ages 18 to 65 and the number of illnesses related to the flu suffered by Medicare beneficiaries between 2002 and 2010.
They found that when a county had at least 31 percent of its 18 to 64 year olds get vaccinated, elderly adults in the county had a 21 percent lower chance of being diagnosed with a flu-related illness.
"Our findings suggest that flu vaccination should be encouraged among low-risk adults not just for their own benefit but also for the benefit of higher-risk adults in their community, such as the elderly," said Glen B. Taksler, PhD, the study's author.