High Dose of Flu Vaccine Boosts Immune Response in Elderly.

Ann Falsey, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and an infectious diseases specialist at Rochester General Hospital, discussed how Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases. The higher dose of vaccine generally resulted in approximately 30 percent to 80 percent more antibodies against flu, long considered a good measure of protection.