Commentary: Uptick in flu shots is fortunate byproduct of Ebola scare

Thank you, Ebola.

I never thought I’d feel gratitude toward a fatal, contagious disease, but the public panic about Ebola in the fall had the unexpected side effect of increasing demand for the flu vaccine.

The flu shot doesn’t protect against Ebola; currently there is no inoculation for that virus. But pharmacists and physicians have noticed that people who usually decline flu shots are rolling up their sleeves because lingering fears of Ebola have them wanting to minimize their risk for the flu, a disease that starts off with the same symptoms – sore throat, cough and fatigue.

In fact, though fear of Ebola has subsided, the CDC is reporting a continued uptick in flu-vaccine coverage for children and adults.

This unexpected consequence of Ebola is a welcome one, because if you’re scared of Ebola, you should be terrified of the flu: Ebola infected a handful of people in the United States, killing two. Meanwhile, influenza infects as many as 20% of the population and kills more than 20,000 every year. So far this season, five children have died from the flu, and health officials say the “flu season” hasn’t yet begun.

The fear of Ebola has also prompted hospitals to put policies into place that will help better identify, isolate and fight any kind of infectious disease, be it Ebola or the measles.

Working with the Orange County Health Care Agency beginning in the summer of 2014, Hoag was one of the first hospitals to create an Ebola protocol in anticipation of the disease landing on our shores. Our procedures include a thorough, standardized method to collect a 30-day travel history of every patient, appropriate rooms to care for infected patients, and all the correct personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and trained employees stationed at the entrances to high-risk areas of the hospital who provide masks for people presenting with flu-like symptoms.

Hoag is one of several hospitals in the area deemed ready by government agencies to care for Ebola patients. Do I expect an influx of Ebola patients this year? No. But cases of tuberculosis, MERS-CoV and, yes, influenza are not unlikely. And these standardized procedures could go a long way toward identifying clusters of disease early and preventing an outbreak.

While Ebola has boosted the flu shot’s public image, the vaccine has gotten some bad press lately for a “mismatch:” One of the strains of flu that has hit this year is not included in the vaccine.

It is important to note that the vaccine is still effective and highly recommended. Two of the strains of flu currently bounding from person to person are included in the vaccine. And the vaccine even offers some protection against the “mismatched” strain. Considering that the flu can cause lung damage, respiratory distress and death, any protection is better than none at all.

In addition to the flu shot, another anti-virus weapon enjoying a bump from the Ebola scare is soap. Hand washing or hand sanitizing is key to good health. At the height of the Ebola scare, Purell stations started popping up everywhere, from supermarkets to banks.

So if this flu season ends up being our most benign on record — and I certainly hope it will be — we might just have Ebola to thank.

PHILIP ROBINSON is medical director of infection, prevention and epidemiology at Hoag Hospital.