Physicians equipped with flu shot aimed at older adults

As flu season approaches, the concern for vaccinating the people most vulnerable to the virus is beginning to grow. AARP.com reports that many physicians are offering a stronger version of the flu vaccine that caters specifically to adults over the age of 65.


The specially-designed flu shot was approved late last year by Food and Drug Administration, and is an effort to provide better protection for senior citizens who are already at a greater risk from complications of the virus.

According to the news source, the new shot, called Fluzone High-Dose, contains four times the normal amount of dead virus as the regular vaccine in the hopes that it will strengthen the immune system.


While it is yet to be proven whether or not the new vaccine actually improves the body's defense against the flu, the news outlet reports that a 2009 study of 3,876 people over the age of 65 found that it increased the response of antibodies by 80 percent.


According to the World Health Organization many of the deaths associated with influenza occur in individuals aged 65 or older, or the very young.


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