For further information please visit: www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Two types of influenza vaccines
1. Live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) contains live but attenuated
(weakened) influenza virus. It is sprayed into the nostrils.
2. Inactivated (killed) influenza vaccine, the “flu shot,” is given by injection with
a needle.
 Influenza viruses are always changing, so annual vaccination is
recommended. Each year scientists try to match the viruses in the vaccine to
those most likely to cause flu that year.
 Flu vaccine will not prevent disease from other viruses, including flu viruses
not contained in the vaccine.
 It takes up to 2 weeks for protection to develop after the vaccination.
 Protection lasts about a year.
Inactivated Flu Vaccine
 Inactivated (killed) vaccine, the “flu shot,” is given by injection with a
needle
 A “high-dose” inactivated influenza vaccine is available for people 65 years
of age and older. Higher dose is used in these patients because they
produce fewer antibodies, thus requiring a higher dose to get complete
protection.
 Some inactivated influenza vaccines contains a preservative called
thimerosal. Thimerosal-free influenza vaccines are available.
 All people 6 months of age and older should get the flu vaccine.
Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe
influenza and their close contacts, including healthcare personnel and close
contacts of children younger than 6 months.
 Get the vaccine as soon as it is available. This should provide protection if
the flu season comes early. You can get the vaccine as long as illness is
occurring in your community.
 Influenza can occur at any time, but most influenza occurs from October
through May. In recent seasons, most infections have occurred in January
and February. Getting vaccinated in December, or even later, will still be
beneficial in most years.
 Adults and older children need one dose of influenza vaccine each year.
 Influenza vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines, including
pneumococcal vaccine.
For further information please visit: www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Live Intranasal Flu Vaccine (LAIV)
 LAIV is recommended for healthy people 2 through 49 years of age, who
are not pregnant and do not have certain health conditions.
 LAIV does not contain thimerosal or other preservatives.
 LAIV is not recommended for everyone. The following people should get
the inactivated vaccine (flu shot) instead:
o Adults 50 years of age and older or children from 6 through 23
months of age. (Children younger than 6 months should not get
either influenza vaccine.)
o Children younger than 5 years with asthma or one or more episodes
of wheezing within the past year.
o Pregnant women.
o People who have long-term health problems with: heart disease,
kidney or liver disease, lung disease, metabolic disease, such as
diabetes, asthma, anemia, and other blood disorders.
o Anyone with certain muscle or nerve disorders (such as seizure
disorders or cerebral palsy) that can lead to breathing or swallowing
problems.
o Anyone with a weakened immune system.
o Anyone in close contact with someone whose immune system is so
weak they require care in a protected environment (such as a bone
marrow transplant unit). Close contacts of other people with a
weakened immune system (such as those with HIV) may receive
LAIV. Healthcare personnel in neonatal intensive care units or
oncology clinics may receive LAIV.
o Children or adolescents on long-term aspirin treatment.
For further information please visit: www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Intradermal Flu Vaccine
 Fluzone Intradermal® is a shot that is injected into the skin instead of the
muscle. The intradermal shot uses a much smaller needle than the regular flu
shot, and it requires less antigen to be as effective as the regular flu shot.
Antigen is the part of the vaccine that helps your body build up protection
against flu viruses
 The intradermal flu vaccine has a similar safety profile to the regular
Fluzone flu shot. Like all flu vaccines, the intradermal vaccine is made to
protect against the three flu viruses that research suggests will be most
common for the season. The intradermal flu vaccine works in the body in the
same way as a regular flu shot.
 The intradermal flu vaccine uses a very fine needle that is 90% smaller than
the needles used for regular flu shots. This may be helpful for people who
don’t like needles. Another feature of the intradermal vaccine is that it
requires 40% less antigen than the regular flu shot. This is useful because the
same amount of available antigen can be used to make more doses of the
vaccine.
 The intradermal vaccine will be in a single-dose, preservative-free (without
thimerosal), prefilled syringe
 The intradermal vaccine has been approved by FDA for use in adults 18
through 64 years of age and is now another vaccination option for people in
this age group. The regular flu shot continues to be an option for people 6
months and older, and the nasal spray vaccine is available for non-pregnant,
healthy people ages 2 to 49. In adults 18-64 years of age, the intradermal
vaccine was shown to provide an immune response similar to the regular flu
shot that is given in the muscle
Shingles Vaccine (Zostavax)
For further information please visit: www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Shingles is a painful skin rash, often with blisters. It is also called Herpes Zoster,
or just Zoster. A shingles rash usually appears on one side of the face or body and
lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe.
Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills and upset stomach.
Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems,
blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis) or death.
Shingles is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, the same virus that causes
chickenpox. Only someone who has had chickenpox – or, rarely, has gotten
chickenpox vaccine – can get shingles. The virus stays in your body, and can cause
shingles many years later. You can’t catch shingles from another person with
shingles.
Shingles is far more common in people 50 years of age and older than in
younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune systems are
weakened because of a disease such as cancer, or drugs such as steroids or
chemotherapy.
The shingles vaccine was licensed in 2006. The vaccine reduced the risk of
shingles by 50%. It can also reduce pain in people who still get shingles after
being vaccinated.
A single dose of shingles vaccine is recommended for adults 60 years of age
and older.
A person should not get shingles vaccine who:
 has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic
neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine.
 has a weakened immune system because of current:
o AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
o treatment with drugs that affect the immune system, such as
prolonged use of high-dose steroids
o cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy
o cancer affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as
leukemia or lymphoma
o is pregnant, or might be pregnant. Women should not become
pregnant until at least 4 weeks after getting shingles vaccine
Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax)
For further information please visit: www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Anyone can get pneumococcal disease, but some people are at greater risk than
others:
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People 65 years and older
The very young
People with certain health problems
People with a weakened immune system
Smokers
Who should get the pneumococcal vaccine?
 All adults 65 years of age and older
 Anyone 2 through 64 years of age who has heart disease, lung disease, sickle
cell disease, diabetes, alcoholism, cirrhosis, leaks of cerebrospinal fluid, or
cochlear implant, Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma or leukemia, kidney failure,
multiple myeloma, nephrotic syndrome, HIV infection or AIDS, organ
transplant, using long term steroids, certain cancer drugs, radiation therapy
 Anyone 19 through 64 years of age who is a smoker or has asthma
How many doses are needed?
Usually only one dose of vaccine is needed, but under some circumstances a
second dose may be given
 A second dose is recommended for people 65 years and older who got
their first dose when they were younger than 65 and it has been 5 or
more years since the first dose
 A second dose is recommended for people 2 through 64 years of age who:
o have a damaged spleen or no spleen
o have sickle-cell disease
o have HIV infection or AIDS
o have cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma
o have had an organ or bone marrow transplant
o are taking medication such as chemotherapy or long-term steroids
When a second dose is given, it should be given 5 years after the first dose.