Why the f lu jab works better in the morning
VACCINATIONS are more effective when given in the morning, according to a study of the flu jab.
Scientists said that levels of key chemicals in our immune systems are higher earlier in the day, meaning the body responds better to vaccines designed to help us fight off illnesses.
The findings could prove particularly significant in the fight to inoculate against flu – especially for the elderly, whose ageing immune systems mean the jab does not work as
‘More efficient response’
well. Fewer than half of older adults end up fully protected, with problems with last year’s jab blamed for the biggest rise in deaths since the 1960s.
Giving flu jabs during morning clinics could prove a simple and inexpensive way of ensuring the NHS’s £ 100million flu vaccination programme provides the best possible protection, said the researchers from the University of Birmingham.
To find out if the time of day affects how well the jab works, 276 adults aged 65 and over gave a blood sample before being given the winter flu jab and again a month later. The jab tricks the immune system into pumping out antibodies against flu. Tests showed these antibodies rose more in those vaccinated between 9 and 11am than those who saw their Gp between 3 and 5pm.
lead author dr anna phillips said levels of key immune system chemicals are higher in the morning, and timing the jab with the body’s natural rhythms may make it more effective.
although only the flu jab was studied, she said there is no reason to believe other vaccines would not also work better if given in the morning.
‘Being able to see that morning vaccinations yield a more efficient response will not only help in strategies for flu vaccination, but might provide clues to improve vaccination strategies more generally,’ she said.
But others cautioned that the early timing only led to an antibody increase against some flu strains – and that if patients did not attend morning clinics any benefits would be lost.
professor John oxford, Britain’s leading flu expert, said: ‘It would be nice to come up with some ways of increasing the flu vaccine’s action and this might be one of them. But I don’t think anyone should worry if they if they had their jab in the afternoon.’