A study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found kidney transplant patients have a weaker response to influenza immunization than healthy individuals, especially in the first six months after receiving a transplant.
 
Dr. Kelly A. Birdwell of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and her team point out that during the first six months after transplant, patients are typically on the highest doses of immunosuppressant medication to prevent their bodies from attacking the transplanted organ.  This translates to a weaker immune system, and a weaker response to the flu vaccine.  Talk to your doctor about whether or not you should receive the flu vaccine. 

This article originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.