A study conducted in the United Kingdom suggests that the vaccine may help to reduce the risk of having a stroke. Previously conducted research suggested that the vaccine’s relationship to a decreased risk of stroke was inconsistent, and researchers sought to improve the evidence that obtaining a flu vaccine would help to lessen chances of having a stroke. Researchers compiled data from patients age 18 and older that had experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) from September 2001-August 2009. They matched these individuals with controls who had never experienced a stroke or TIA event, and adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, co-morbidity, and vaccine risk groups. The study consisted of 26,784 patients that had experienced a stroke, and 20,277 that had experienced a TIA episode.
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Shingles vaccination rates among older adults have risen from 2008-2011, but a recent study has shown that the overall rate of vaccination against shingles is still relatively low overall. The shingles vaccine has been in circulation since its approval in 2006, and is recommended for all adults aged 60 and over to help prevent shingles. The FDA has recently updated the recommended age for the vaccine to ages 50-59. Studies have shown that only 6.7% of adults had received the herpes zoster vaccine since 2008.