Providing Additional "Muscle" for Older Adults Through Optimal Influenza Vaccine Selection

Immunization is the best strategy to protect individuals from influenza; however, older adults tend to respond less favorably to vaccines because of immunosenescence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that any licensed, recommended, and age-appropriate influenza vaccine may be used in older adults despite reasonable evidence suggesting that the high-dose and, to a lesser extent, the adjuvanted and recombinant influenza vaccines provide better protection than the standard-dose vaccines in this vulnerable population. In this era of precision medicine, clinicians can preferentially recommend these contemporary vaccines to equip their older patients with the best possible protection against influenza.