Flu Prevention Starts and Ends with You: MDHHS Urges You to Continue Vaccinating Patients against the Flu

Jalyn Ingalls, MA, Influenza Outreach Coordinator, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Immunization

Influenza vaccination efforts in clinical settings should continue throughout the entire flu season, as the flu vaccine will still provide ample protection from influenza throughout the winter and spring months. Healthcare providers often turn in their flu vaccine after the holiday season and stop vaccinating patients against the flu. This practice leads to many missed opportunities to protect patients from influenza.

The majority of flu vaccinations administered in Michigan and documented in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) are during October and November, with a sharp decline in the number of doses administered after December. In the U.S., flu activity most often peaks in February but flu always continues circulating through the spring months. Healthcare providers should reduce missed opportunities for flu vaccine and continue to strongly recommend and offer flu vaccine to all patients aged six months and older throughout winter and spring when flu activity is still at increased levels (see Figure 1). 

Each flu season, the virus that is predominately circulating can change as the season progresses. By administering flu vaccine to patients now, they are protected not only from what is currently circulating in the community but from viruses that may not be circulating until April or May. According to MCIR data for the 2016-17 flu season, only 26.2 percent of Michigan residents received flu vaccine. Seasonal posters promoting flu vaccine in winter and spring can be found on the Alliance for Immunizations in Michigan website at http://www.aimtoolkit.org/health-care/general-public.php and can be ordered free of charge at the MDHHS Clearinghouse at http://healthymichigan.com/ by clicking Enter, Immunizations, item IM136. Let’s all strive to continue vaccinating against flu well into 2018 to protect our Michiganders.

About the Guardian

The Guardian of Public Health is a monthly newsletter from the Bureau of EMS, Trauma, and Preparedness (BETP) within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Guardian aims to provide its readers with relevant content on topics that affect the public health of citizens and communities in Michigan. For questions or comments please contact Kerry Chamberlain at chamberlaink2@michigan.gov.

Click here to subscribe to the Guardian

This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement number, CDC-RFA TP12-1201, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.

MDHHS Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness | PO Box 30207 | Lansing | MI | 48909