Smokers show strong immune response to flu vaccine

[Anchor]

These days, as the weather gets colder, flu vaccinations are in full swing.

Research has shown that smokers have an immune response to the flu vaccine that is up to three times stronger than that of non-smokers.

This means that vaccination is essential for smokers.

Medical reporter Park Kwang-sik reports.

[Report]

Yoon Seong-sik, in his 50s, has been smoking a pack a day for over 30 years.

Concerned about the flu this winter, he got vaccinated in advance.

[Yoon Seong-sik/Suwon, Gyeonggi-do/Smoker for over 30 years: "I definitely feel out of breath after walking for a long time. If I catch the flu, I might suffer more severely than others, so I want to avoid it as much as possible...."]

How effective is the vaccine for smokers whose lung tissue has been damaged by cigarette smoke?

A joint research team from Korea University College of Medicine analyzed 273 flu vaccine recipients and found that smokers had immune responses to type A flu that were up to 3.6 times higher and to type B flu that were up to 2.5 times higher than non-smokers.

A strong immune response means that the likelihood of catching the flu can significantly decrease.

In smokers' bodies, immune cells are constantly triggering inflammatory responses to fight harmful cigarette smoke, which is why they show similarly strong immune responses when the vaccine is administered.

[Choi Won-seok/Professor of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Ansan Hospital: "(Smokers) have a more activated mechanism that triggers inflammatory responses. The process of inducing an immune response after vaccination can be similar to an inflammatory response, which is why smokers show a strong immune response...."]

However, the flu vaccination rate among smokers in Korea is only two-thirds that of non-smokers.

The research team emphasized that smokers are more vulnerable to respiratory diseases like the flu, and that catching the flu can worsen chronic lung diseases, making vaccination even more necessary.

This is KBS News, Park Kwang-sik.