The Standards for Medical Care in Diabetes – 2014 recommend an annual flu vaccine for those with diabetes. They recommend pneumococcal polysaccharide (pneumonia) vaccine for those with diabetes who are over 2 years and a one-time re-vaccination for those older than 65 years who have been immunized more than 5 years ago.
Flu vaccine is recommended because it has been shown to decrease hospitalizations by up to 79% in people with diabetes, not to mention people with diabetes have a higher risk for flu-related complications. Because people with diabetes have a higher risk for bacterial infections, and these infections can be fatal, the standards recommend getting protected from pneumonia.
Finally, a newer recommendation is for those with diabetes who are between the ages of 19-59 and haven’t been vaccinated against Hepatitis B to do so as soon after diabetes diagnosis as possible. The CDC reported that the rate of Hepatitis B infection in people with diabetes over 23 years is at least double that of people without diabetes.
Find the fine details on flu vaccine recommendations here.