August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), an annual event sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations. As part of NIAM, the CDC is encouraging people to stay up to date with routine immunizations like the flu vaccine. According to the Agency, the “best way to reduce your risk from seasonal flu, and its potentially serious complications, is to get a flu vaccine every year.”
Who Should Receive the Flu Vaccine?
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older should receive a yearly flu vaccine. In addition, because the flu virus is constantly mutating, the composition of vaccines is reviewed annually and updated as needed to protect against the viruses that data indicate will be most common during the upcoming flu season.
For the 2025-2026 flu season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has recommended trivalent seasonal influenza vaccines that include two influenza A subtype viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) and one influenza type B virus. An adequate supply is expected to be available.
Yearly vaccinations are especially important for people who are at increased risk for developing complications from the flu, including, but not limited to, adults 65 years or older and individuals having the medical conditions listed below.
- Asthma and/or chronic lung disease
- Endocrine disorders including diabetes mellitus
- Heart disease
- Kidney and liver disorders
- Weakened immune system due to disease, medical treatments, or other factors
- Pregnant women, including up to 2 weeks after the end of pregnancy
Is the Vaccine Effective?
Based on CDC data, the flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related medical visits, as well as a significant number of deaths, each year. For example, during the 2023-2024 season, flu vaccinations prevented close to 10 million influenza-related illnesses, nearly 5 million medical visits, 120,000 hospitalizations, and approximately 8,000 deaths.
In addition, studies show that flu vaccination reduces the severity of illness in people who do get the shot, but still get the flu. For instance, a 2021 study showed that vaccinated adults hospitalized with the flu had a 26% lower rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and a 31% lower risk of death from the flu, compared to those who were unvaccinated.
Should my Organization Offer a Vaccination Clinic?
Seasonal illnesses have the potential to have a significant financial impact in the workplace. Studies have estimated that the flu is responsible for close to 44 million lost workdays each flu season in the U.S. alone. Estimated flu-related costs for U.S. businesses have been reported by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to be more than $11.2 billion annually.
Offering flu vaccines in the workplace can be an effective way to limit absenteeism and promote employee health.
To encourage staff to get vaccinated, employers can sponsor on-site seasonal flu vaccination clinics with their occupational health provider. Occupational health centers have already started reaching out about scheduling on-site clinics, typically held from mid-September through December.
With flu season fast approaching, it’s not too early to start planning for your organization’s flu clinic. If you haven’t held any in previous years, you might find out that by doing so you’ll not only be offering a convenient option for your employees, but you’ll also be lowering absenteeism and decreasing the risk of workplace flu outbreaks.
Safety Partners can help! We can work with your staff and your occupational health provider to coordinate clinic scheduling and complete any related paperwork that may be needed. We can also assist with other details such as creating employee sign-up sheets, providing vaccine consent forms, scheduling and sending reminders, and facilitating the clinic on the day it’s held. To learn more, contact us!
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
