It’s time to get your flu shot.
They’re important for adults and children in keeping the whole family safe.
“The severity of the flu varies from season to season,” said Mohammed Rashed, MD, a pediatrician with Powers Health Medical Group. “Getting a flu shot lessens the chances of experiencing severe symptoms that may cause hospitalization. Look at a flu shot as preventive care for your family.”
Several major health groups — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America — recommend that everyone aged 6 months and older get a flu shot, except for rare exceptions.
Even if a flu shot does not prevent you from getting the flu, it may prevent severe and secondary illness related to it.
Vaccines are designed to stimulate the production of antibodies in the body. These can then attach to the outer structures on the protein coat of the virus, disabling it.
Epidemiologists and immunologists at the CDC look at global patterns for flu to predict which formulation the current year’s flu shots should have.
Typically, flu season starts around October and lasts through April.
Although getting a flu shot at the beginning of the season can maximize its benefits, it is better to get it late than not at all, Rashed said.
The season can overlap with outbreaks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19. Forecasters have nicknamed the potentially overlapping outbreak of all three a “tripledemic.” For the first time in U.S. history, vaccines for all three major respiratory viruses — flu, RSV and COVID-19 — are available.
“Make sure you are current with the vaccines your healthcare provider recommends for you,” Rashed said. “It is important to your health, your family’s health and your community’s health.”
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on seasonal flu vaccine.
SOURCE: HealthDay News
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