Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are stressing the importance of getting a flu shot this year to reduce the impact of these two highly infectious respiratory illnesses.

Who is most at risk?

This is especially true for people with compromised immune systems, such as those living with kidney disease. Included in this high-risk group are also those at high risk for developing kidney disease due to:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure 
• Heart disease
• Obesity
• Family history

People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are also at high risk.

Why is the flu dangerous for people with kidney disease?

Because kidney disease lowers your immune response, your vulnerability to infections is increased. Patients with kidney disease not only face a higher risk of contracting the flu virus but also a higher risk of death from the flu. 

You should only receive a flu vaccine by injection, not by nasal spray, if you:

• have kidney disease at any stage; 
• are on dialysis; or
• are a kidney transplant recipient.

According to NKF Chief Medical Officer Joseph Vassalotti, MD, the devastation wreaked by COVID-19 underscores the critical nature of getting flu shots in a timely fashion. 

“For the upcoming flu season,” said Vassalotti, “flu vaccination will be very important…so it can help reduce the overall impact of respiratory illnesses on the population, and lessen the resulting burden on the healthcare system.” 

*National Kidney Foundation. (2020, September 22). The National Kidney Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Want Everyone to Get a Flu Shot. https://www.kidney.org/news/national-kidney-foundation-and-centers-disease-control-and-prevention-want-everyone-to-get-flu