WellPoint Urges Seniors to Get Flu, Pneumonia Vaccines

INDIANAPOLIS - (BUSINESS WIRE) - The seasonal flu can be serious for everybody. So serious, in fact, that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that nearly everyone get a flu vaccine.ⁱ This is particularly true for seniors (adults 65 and older).

As people age, it becomes more difficult for them to fight illness. As a result, older adults are at greater risk of serious flu-related complications, including pneumonia, hospitalization and even death. According to Flu.gov, a website collaboration of several government agencies, 90 percent of flu-related deaths and more than half of flu-related hospitalizations occur in people age 65 and older.ⁱⁱ

Fortunately, seniors can take measures to protect themselves by being vaccinated against both the flu and pneumonia. Unfortunately, one-third of people age 65 and older do not get their annual influenza shots and more than one-third have never been vaccinated against pneumonia, according to the CDC. With the flu season under way, WellPoint is urging those 65 and older to get vaccinated against the flu and pneumonia.