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Preventing influenza is important for a variety of reasons. Influenza is not a benign illness. In recent years, it’s accounted for up to 700,000 hospitalizations and over 50,000 deaths annually. The vaccine not only saves lives but also helps prevent hospitalizations as well as the need for the ICU. The occupancy rates of both have been severely stressed due to COVID. Despite the fact that the vaccine has been shown to be effective in all age groups, a significant percent of the population do not receive it. This podcast will discuss the influenza vaccine, it’s overall effectiveness in preventing the illness, the optimal time of year to receive the vaccine and tips on how to increase the likelihood that our patients will agree to receive it. Our guest is Dr. Robert M. Jacobson, a pediatrician and immunization expert at the Mayo Clinic.

Specific topics:

• Possible impact on the susceptibility or severity of influenza for the 2021/2022 season given there was such a reduction in influenza cases last year
• The time of year the vaccine for the current influenza season is released
• The optimal time of year to receive the influenza vaccine
• The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in preventing the illness
• The likelihood we’ll see testing for both COVID and influenza increase this winter
• Tips on increasing the number of patients who agree to receive the influenza vaccine

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.