The survey found seasonal influenza vaccine availability may be a reason more adults have not been vaccinated. Among those intending to be vaccinated, about 38 percent said there was no vaccine available when they tried to get vaccinated.

"These findings highlight one of the public health challenges that we face in a year when a pandemic influenza virus has made an appearance," Harris said. "The early surge of uptake might be attributed to additional awareness about flu in a pandemic year. It's an important lesson that we need to keep in mind in planning for future pandemics."

Other findings from the study include:

There was little evidence that people were forgoing seasonal influenza vaccine in order to be vaccinated against H1N1.Health care providers were widely seen as the best source of information about vaccinations. About 44 percent of vaccinated adults said their health care provider was the most influential source of information; unvaccinated adults were less reliant on health care providers and more reliant on news reports than those who had received an influenza vaccine.Results showed that 44 percent of adults with a chronic disease surveyed have been vaccinated against the seasonal influenza this flu season. Additionally, just one-fifth of those surveyed plan to receive the influenza vaccine this flu season. White adults were more likely to have been vaccinated than other racial groups. Hispanic adults were the least likely racial group to have been vaccinated.

The study, "Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Use by Adults in the U.S. During the 2009-2010 Vaccination Season: A Snapshot as of Mid-November 2009," is available at www.rand. Other authors of the study are Jurgen Maurer and Lori Uscher-Pines.

SOURCE National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)