High-dose vaccine for flu would save lives of seniors

Advocacy group wants provinces to pay $100 cost of agent proven to help elderly

ELIZABETH PAYNE

Amid a flu season that has been deadly for older Canadians, a group representing seniors is calling on provinces to start paying for a high-dose flu vaccine to save lives.

“We’re alarmed at the number of seniors who are being so adversely affected by influenza this season, particularly those who are in longterm care facilities,” said Anthony Quinn, director of public affairs at CARP.

A flu vaccine designed for people over 65 has been approved for use in Canada, but it is not paid for by any provinces or territories as is the regular flu vaccine. The highdose vaccine contains more antigen than standard flu vaccines, which is supposed to give older people a better immune response and better protection against the flu, something research supports.

The vaccine has been covered by Medicare in the U.S. for eight years. In Canada, seniors who want it have to pay around $100.

CARP, the advocacy organization for Canadians over 50, is calling on provincial governments to begin paying for the high-dose vaccine. Doing so would save lives, said Quinn.

“If you improve the efficacy of the vaccine you are giving to seniors, you are going to save lives. Seniors expect that their provincial health-care systems are doing good by them and providing the most up to date vaccines available,” he said.

The 2016-17 flu season, which is still going strong, has been particularly hard on older Canadians. It has killed three people in Ottawa and well over 100 across the country (federal statistics don’t include hard-hit British Columbia, Quebec or the territories).

The vast majority of deaths have been among people over 65.

In Ontario, there have been a few pilot projects using the vaccine in long-term care homes, but it is not generally funded.

The traditional flu shot loses its effectiveness on seniors as they age. It may have an efficacy rate of between 62 and 76 per cent for younger people, depending on its match with the seasonal flu, but for seniors, that efficacy rate drops to between 26 per cent and 52 per cent, according to CARP. “It’s not a level playing field.”

The high-dose vaccine is 24 per cent more effective than standard flu vaccines, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Not only would it save lives and cut down on illness, said Quinn, but it would save the health system money, although it costs more than the standard flu vaccine.

“CARP is calling on the provinces to step up.”

Ottawa Public Health said the vast majority of lab-confirmed flu cases in Ottawa this season have been Influenza A.

The median age of patients with the flu is 70. In addition to three deaths, 73 people have been hospitalized with the flu, with a median age of 70. epayne@postmedia.com

If you improve the efficacy of the vaccine you are giving to seniors, you are going to save lives.