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Minority
adults
more
likely
to be
hospitalized
for flu
and less
likely
to be
vaccinated,
CDC
report
By Carma
Hassan
cnn.com
ATLANTA
- Black,
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
and
Hispanic
adults
are more
likely
than
their
White
peers to
be
hospitalized
for the
flu, but
less
likely
to be
vaccinated
against
it, a
new
report
from the
US
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
finds.
The CDC
Vital
Signs
report
released
Tuesday
finds
that
Black,
AI/AN
and
Hispanic
adults
were 1.2
to 1.8
times
more
likely
to be
hospitalized
than
White
adults
over the
past 13
flu
seasons.
They
were
also
less
likely
to be
vaccinated
than
their
White
counterparts
due to
“distrust
of the
medical
system,
misperceptions
about
vaccine
safety,
and
higher
levels
of
concern
about
side
effects,”
researchers
wrote in
the
report.
“Vaccination
is the
best
defense
we have
against
the
worst
outcomes
of
getting
the
flu,”
CDC
Acting
Principal
Deputy
Director
Dr.
Debra
Houry
told
reporters
on
Tuesday.
“During
my time
as an ER
doc, and
throughout
my work
at CDC,
I’ve
seen
that the
reasons
behind
inequities
and
vaccination
coverage
for
people
from
some
racial
and
ethnic
minority
groups
are
systemic
and a
result
of many
factors.
I’ve
also
seen the
impact
of
vaccination
can have
to
reduce
the
impact
illnesses
like flu
can have
on our
society.”
During
the
2021-2022
flu
season,
54% of
White
adults
were
vaccinated,
compared
with 42%
of Black
adults,
41% of
American
Indian
and
Alaska
Native
adults,
and 38%
of
Hispanic
adults,
said Dr.
Carla
Black, a
CDC
Immunization
Services
Division
epidemiologist.
These
groups
also had
more
severe
outcomes
from the
flu,
Black
said.
“This
report
adds to
the body
of
evidence
that
shows
people
from
certain
racial
and
ethnic
minority
groups
have
more
severe
outcomes
at
higher
rates
than
White
adults,”
Black
said.
“The
report
shows
that
Black,
Hispanic,
and
American
Indian
and
Alaskan
Native
adults
were
hospitalized
with flu
at
greater
rates
than
White
adults
during
most
seasons
from
2009 to
2022.
Hospitalization
rates
were
nearly
80%
higher
among
Black
adults,
30%
higher
among
American
Indian
and
Alaskan
Native
adults
and 20%
higher
among
Hispanic
adults.”
Black
also
said the
data
shows
that
health
care
access
contributes
to
disparities
in
vaccination.
“Last
flu
season,
we found
that
adults
with
insurance,
those
with a
health
care
provider
and
those
with a
medical
checkup
in the
past
year
were
more
likely
to get a
flu
vaccine
than
those
without
at least
one of
the
facilitators
to
health
care.
Hispanic
adults
were
less
likely
to have
health
insurance.
Further,
Hispanic,
American
Indian
and
Alaskan
Native
and
adults
of other
races
were
less
likely
to have
a health
care
provider
and a
checkup
in the
past
year,”
she
said.
In the
report,
researchers
urged
building
trust,
increasing
access
to
vaccination
services
and
combatting
misinformation
in order
to
increase
vaccination
coverage.
The CDC
has
teamed
up with
community
organizations
to host
town
halls
and
pop-up
vaccination
clinics
through
its
CDC’s
Partnering
for
Vaccine
Equity
program,
Houry
said.
“We
raise
awareness
and
provide
accurate
information
about
the
importance
of flu
vaccination
and
address
misinformation
In the
future,”
she
said.
The
agency
also
uses
targeted
national
vaccination
campaigns
to reach
Black
and
Hispanic
audiences.
“We have
many of
the
tools we
need to
address
inequities
and flu
vaccination
coverage
and
outcomes.
However,
we must
acknowledge
that
inequities
in
access
to care
continue
to
exist.
To
improve
vaccine
uptake,
we must
address
the root
causes
of these
ongoing
disparities,”
Houry
said.
The
report
comes as
an early
increase
in
seasonal
flu
activity
has been
reported
in most
of the
United
States,
with the
nation’s
Southeast
and
south-central
areas
reporting
the
highest
levels
of flu,
according
to the
CDC.
While
current
influenza
activity
is still
low
overall,
the CDC
says
activity
is
increasing
in most
of the
country.
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