ATLANTA, Jun 23, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The increased risk of complications
from influenza, means adults and children with asthma should be vaccinated for
seasonal flu, U.S. health officials say.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System has been in use since 1984 and
collects state-specific data from random telephone surveys of U.S. adults, CDC
officials said.
The study, scheduled to be published in the August issue of the American Journal
of Preventive Medicine, analyzed the responses of 173,572 adults age 18-64 and
found that 8.4 percent had asthma. In the 2006-2007 influenza season,
vaccination estimates ranged from 26.9 percent in California to 53.3 percent in
Tennessee with a median across all states of 43.1 percent.
Lead investigator Peng-jun Lu of the National Center for Immunization and
Respiratory Diseases at the CDC and colleagues identified influenza vaccination
as one of several "key clinical activities that should be considered as
essential for quality asthma care."
Healthcare providers should also be encouraged to use evidence-based
immunization strategies -- such as standing orders, patient reminder/recall,
provider reminder, provider assessment and feedback -- for asthma or other
high-risk conditions and routinely offer influenza vaccination.
The CDC investigators determined that the vaccination levels among asthma
sufferers falls well short of the guideline of having at least 60 percent of
adults ages 18-64 with asthma vaccinated for seasonal influenza.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International