As of Dec. 2, Michigan was trailing behind last year’s administered flu shot numbers by more than 10 percent, which is a setback that’s caught the attention of the Michigan State Medical Society.

“The biggest risk would be to have a very severe flu season, with many severe illnesses requiring (hospitalization),” said Dr. M. Salim Siddiqui, MSMS president. “I think we all have a sense of what happens when our hospitals get overwhelmed by respiratory illness. For older patients and younger patients, there (would) be (concerns) about severe permanent complications and even death.”

During a recent roundtable discussion, lasting around 20 minutes, Siddiqui described the influenza vaccine as a way to avoid respiratory illness-related hospitalizations, preventing facilities from tapping out their capacities.

According to the state’s official Flu Dashboard, influenza vaccine coverage for youths – from six months through 4-years-old – has fallen from 41.4 percent and 31.6 percent during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 flu seasons, respectively, to 21.4 percent in the ongoing season.

As for those 65-years-old and older, vaccine coverage has dropped from 62.6 percent in the last season to 51.9 percent in the present-day 2023-24 influenza season – declining from more than 1.1 million vaccinated residents to 936,330.

Siddiqui said a survey found 27 percent of non-vaccinated individuals said they “hadn’t had the time” to receive a flu shot.

“Fifteen percent said it was because of side effects, another 15 said they just weren’t worried about the flu, and less than 10 percent said they were afraid of needles,” Siddiqui said. “I think the biggest hassle is working in the time, and we’re trying to just reiterate the message that the vaccine is widely available.”

Outside his role within the MSMS, Siddiqui specializes in radiation oncology and treating patients with brain tumors. Through serving inpatients and outpatients receiving cancer therapy, Siddiqui said he’s witnessed firsthand the “vulnerability of patients with weakened immune systems to the flu and other infections.”

“Your decision to get vaccinated not only protects you and your loved ones, but also serves as a lifeline for people like my patients who face severe consequences, even death, if they get the flu,” he said.

Another speaker during today’s roundtable was 18-year-old Nate Gorenstein. At 4-years-old, he was infected with the H1N1 influenza virus, causing his asthma to flare up. Approximately five minutes after being directed to a pediatric intensive care unit, Gorenstein experienced a respiratory arrest.

Gorenstein clarified that he received a flu shot before his H1N1 influenza diagnosis, but he didn’t have enough time to build up full immunity.

“I spent 14 days in the hospital, and although I don’t remember much of it, I do remember some of the strain it put on my family, and I have heard stories of pretty much how devastated my entire family was,” Gorenstein said. “I remember trying to learn how to walk again and being unable to stand on my own, having to walk with a walker…I couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t have the strength.”

Amid the recent conversation, Andrea Kline-Tilford, the immediate past president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, said more than 180 children died nationwide last year in relation to the flu. This year, she said, there have been 12 pediatric deaths across the United States.

“I think that we worry a lot about exposing kids that really are at high-risk and having them then land in the hospital, or perhaps end up in the (intensive care unit) or have some long-term sequelae from being so sick,” Kline-Tilford said.

Overall, Siddiqui said it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide enough immunity against severe flu illnesses. Additionally, he highlighted that more than 2.4 million vaccine doses have been administered this season, 60.1% through Michigan’s goal of having 4 million vaccines administered.

This story courtesy of MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.