Make a Strong Influenza Vaccine Recommendation

As a health care professional, your strong recommendation is a critical factor in whether your patients get an influenza vaccine. Most adults believe vaccines are important, but they need a reminder from you to get vaccinated. After making your recommendation, follow up with each patient during subsequent appointments to ensure they received an influenza vaccine. If a patient still is unvaccinated, repeat the recommendation and try to identify and address any questions or concerns.

Make a strong flu vaccine recommendation at every patient visit. Learn more about recommended times to vaccinate.

Make a Strong Influenza Vaccine Recommendation (SHARE)

It is important that all patients receive a strong recommendation for vaccination from their provider. CDC suggests using the SHARE method to make a strong vaccine recommendation and provide important information to help patients make informed decisions about vaccinations:

CDC suggests using the SHARE method to make a strong vaccine recommendation and provide important information to help patients make informed decisions about vaccinations:

SHARE the reasons why an influenza vaccine is right for the patient given his or her age, health status, lifestyle, occupation, or other risk factors.

HIGHLIGHT positive experiences with influenza vaccines (personal or in your practice), as appropriate, to reinforce the benefits and strengthen confidence in influenza vaccination.

ADDRESS patient questions and any concerns about influenza vaccines, including side effects, safety, and vaccine effectiveness in plain and understandable language. Acknowledge that while people who get an influenza vaccine may still get sick, there are studies that show that illness may be less severe.

REMIND patients that influenza vaccines help protect them and their loved ones from serious influenza illness and complications that can result in hospitalization or even death for some people.

EXPLAIN the potential costs of getting influenza, including potential serious health effects for the patient, time lost (such as missing work or family obligations), financial costs, and potentially spreading influenza to more vulnerable family or friends.

2020-2021 Flu Season ACIP Recommendations  Prepare Your Practice to Fight Flu: Get meaterials and resources to improve your influenza and vaccination rates this year.

Available Influenza Vaccines

  • All influenza vaccines this season are quadrivalent (four-component) vaccines, designed to protect against four different influenza viruses, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.
  • There are many different influenza vaccine options with varying indications, including egg-free and thimerosal-free influenza vaccines, higher dose and adjuvanted vaccines for older patients, and a nasal spray vaccine.
  • Three flu vaccine are preferentially recommended for people 65 years and older. These are Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent inactivated flu vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted inactivated flu vaccine. This recommendation was based on a review of available studies which suggests that, in this age group, these vaccines are potentially more effective than standard dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines.
  • There is no preferential recommendation for people younger than 65.

Available influenza vaccines include:

  • Egg-based standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccines
    • Approved for people aged 6 months and older
  • Cell-Based standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine
    • Approved for people aged 6 months and older
    • Produced by growing virus in cultured cells of mammalian origin instead of in eggs (egg-free)
  • High-Dose inactivated influenza vaccine
    • Approved for adults aged 65 years and older.
    • Contains four times the antigen for each virus compared with standard-dose inactivated vaccines.
    • One of three flu vaccine that are preferentially recommended for adults aged 65 and older.
  • Recombinant influenza vaccine
    • Approved for adults aged 18 years and older.
    • Contains three times the antigen for each virus compared with standard-dose inactivated vaccines.
    • Produced without influenza viruses or eggs (egg-free).
    • One of three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommended for adults aged 65 and older.
  • Adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine
    • Approved for adults aged 65 years and older.
    • Contains an adjuvant (an ingredient intended to help promote a better immune response).
    • One of three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommend for adults aged 65 and older.
  • Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (Nasal Spray Vaccine)
    • Approved for people 2 through 49 years old.
    • Contains live influenza viruses that that are grown in eggs, and are weakened so that they don’t cause illness

Not recommended for pregnant people and for people with some medical conditions.

Featured Video

Dr. Tolu Adebanjo Describes How She Recommends Influenza Vaccine to Pediatric Patients

In this video from the #HowIRecommend series, Dr. Tolu Adebanjo, MD, explains how she talks to parents about influenza vaccine.

For more information about available influenza vaccines and vaccine supply for the 2023-2024 season, visit Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Supply and Distribution.

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