Half of diabetics fail to get flu shot

A new report from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) emphasizes the importance of annual immunization of diabetes patients with influenza vaccine. According to data from the CDC and American Diabetes Association (ADA), while 21 million people have diabetes, at least half of them do not get vaccinated against the flu each year. In addition, more than 10% of pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths occur in patients with diabetes. Studies have also shown that receiving the flu shot reduces death by 72% in diabetics aged 18 to 64 years. In an effort to increase the low immunization rates, NFID has joined with 20 other medical and public health groups to provide strategies and tools to healthcare professionals. The new resources can now be accessed on-line at