The Influenza Vaccine for the 2023-24 Season: Availability, Recommendations, and Outbreak Update

The influenza vaccine for the 2023-24 season is now available in pharmacies and the Health Department’s pediatric vaccination centers, reported Iris Cardona, the agency’s chief medical officer.

“Private (health) providers should be receiving it soon,” Cardona said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), September and October are the best times for the population to get vaccinated, especially those most vulnerable to complications, including older adults.

The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination starting at 6 months of age.

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According to Melissa Marzán, Health’s main epidemiological officer, influenza cases were high until June, but, in the last six weeks, they have been decreasing. Still, she noted that there is an island-wide outbreak, as cases are above the seasonal alert threshold.

Until August 11, during this season –which began in July– 4,376 cases of influenza have already been reported, with 186 hospitalizations. The Aguadilla/Mayagüez region is the one with the highest rate. Meanwhile, to date, more cases of influenza B (3,080) than influenza A (1,048) have been confirmed, with 62 cases of influenza A & B.

On the other hand, almost half of the cases reported until this Saturday (47.34%) have been identified in the pediatric population, which includes children from 0 to 19 years of age.

According to the CDC, last season, people who got a flu shot had a 40% to 70% lower risk of hospitalization and complications associated with the flu.

2023-08-19 16:44:00
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