Influenza vaccination in the elderly: can efficacy be enhanced?

Influenza remains a major cause of illness and death in geriatric populations, especially in the frail elderly and those who live in nursing homes. Influenza vaccine has been useful in reducing morbidity and mortality; however, the vaccine is not uniformly successful in preventing infection, particularly in those people who are immunocompromised. In this article, the rationale and expectations for the current vaccine are reviewed and strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy are presented.