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Influenza and Influenza Vaccination in Japanese Elderly

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Health Issues and Care System for the Elderly

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Abstract

Seasonal influenza epidemics occur every winter. In Japan, this season begins from late November to early December and ends in April to May. According to the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Disease, around 15 million people, which is about 10% of the entire Japanese population, is estimated to be infected every season. Elderly people account for about 10% of all reported patients; however, their cases may become severe and lead to complications such as pneumonia or result in death. As a countermeasure against influenza in elderly people, an inactivated tetravalent vaccine has been recommended as part of the national immunization program since 2017 in Japan.

This chapter describes the characteristics of influenza virus, influenza disease burden in elderly people, and influenza vaccine as an influenza countermeasure and its effectiveness.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, Saga University, Saga City, Saga, Japan

    Megumi Hara

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  1. Megumi Hara
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Correspondence to Megumi Hara .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. St. Mary’s College , Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan

    Masakazu Washio

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    Chikako Kiyohara

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Hara, M. (2019). Influenza and Influenza Vaccination in Japanese Elderly. In: Washio, M., Kiyohara, C. (eds) Health Issues and Care System for the Elderly. Current Topics in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1762-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1762-0_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-1761-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-1762-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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