Are You at High Risk for Seasonal or H1N1 Flu?
Unlike the common cold, or other minor ailments that people mistakenly call "the flu", real influenza is a major illness that can have life-threatening complications for people of certain ages or with specific high-risk conditions. To help you determine if you are at high risk for complications from seasonal or H1N1 flu, please reference the chart below. A red check mark indicates people in that category have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to be at risk for that form of influenza strain and are recommended to receive the vaccine. In the case of H1N1, by order of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and CDC, we will prioritize these high-risk categories to receive H1N1 vaccinations. To learn what high-risk groups Harvard Vanguard is currently targeting, please click here for our latest update.
The Pneumovax vaccine (sometimes called “the pneumonia vaccine”) included in the chart is given to protect against infection with the bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae. This bacterium is responsible for most of the cases of bacterial pneumonia in adults and children; it is the bacteria most often found in ear and sinus infections and is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children. Certain people are at especially high risk of getting infections with this bacterium. Because pneumonia caused by this bacterium is a common complication of flu, especially pandemic flu, we are making a special effort this year to offer the Pneumovax vaccine to our patients who have risk factors for infection with this bacterium.