WASHINGTON — Think the flu’s only a big threat to kids and seniors? Influenza hospitalized a surprisingly high number of young and middle-aged adults last winter — and this time around the government wants more of them vaccinated.
Fewer than half of Americans get a flu vaccine every year. Vaccination rates are highest for children under 5 — 70 percent — and for seniors — 65 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
But just a third of healthy adults ages 18 to 64 got vaccinated last year, the CDC said. And last winter, that age group had its highest rate of flu-related hospitalizations since the 2009 pandemic.
It’s not clear why that age shuns the vaccine, although some studies suggest they don’t think they’re at risk.