Study: Flu Shots Are More Effective in the Morning

A flu shot in the morning produces a greater antibody response than one given in the afternoon, and is therefore more protective, according to a recent study.

The protective effects of vaccinations have been shown to be less robust in older adults. For this reason, the researchers examined variations in vaccination timing that could potentially benefit antibody response in these patients.
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They conducted a study of 276 adults aged 65 and older from 24 general practices in the United Kingdom who were vaccinated against 3 strains of influenza, either during the morning (9-11 am) or the afternoon (3-5 pm).

Overall, the participants who received their vaccinations during the morning showed significantly greater increases in antibody concentrations a month after vaccination compared with participants from the afternoon vaccination group. These differences were observed in 2 of the 3 influenza strains. There was no significant difference in the third strain.

“This simple manipulation in the timing of vaccine administration to favor morning vaccination may be beneficial for the influenza antibody response in older adults, with potential implications for vaccination strategies generally,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Long JE, Drayson MT, Taylor AE, Toellner KM, Lord JM, Phillips AC. Morning vaccination enhances antibody response over afternoon vaccination: A cluster-randomised trial [published online April 26, 2016]. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.04.032