Should I Get a Flu Shot This Year? Why Prevention Is the Best Medicine

Cold weather and the flu season are right around the corner, so it’s time to start preparing yourself by getting a flu shot.

The CDC recommends everyone six months or older make an appointment with their pharmacy or doctor’s office to receive their shot by the end of October. This year’s vaccines have a new formula to protect against several different flu viruses, which can cause fever, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea and other symptoms. In serious cases an infection can lead to hospitalization or even be fatal.

There were about 35 million cases of flu nationwide last season. About 400,000 people were hospitalized with flu infections, and tragically, 25,000 people died. The ideal time to get your shot is between mid-September and late October.

Afterward, it will protect you for the next five to six months. This is typically long enough protection to get you through flu season, which begins in October and ends in March or April.

Some children between six months and eight years old need two flu shots at least four weeks apart. This includes children who have never gotten a flu shot, who have only received one dose or who have an unknown vaccination history. Experts have said that for young children, an initial course of two doses provides the best immune response to flu.

If you miss your flu shot during the recommended window this fall, it’s still worth getting vaccinated, experts claimed. Protection late in the season is better than none at all. This year, the vaccines available in the United States are formulated to protect against two influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus. Most of these shots are given as an injection in the arm, but there is also a nasal spray flu vaccine. Experts say this might be a good option for patients who are afraid of needles.

There are specific high-dose vaccines for people 65 and older, who are at higher risk of severe illness. Experts said that everyone benefits from a flu vaccine. Kids, in particular, can spread the virus easily and are the most susceptible to infection. Children under five, especially those with other medical conditions, are at risk of severe illness. Yet only 57 percent of children and adolescents received one or more doses of flu vaccine last season, the CDC said.

"Year after year, we see that many of the children who die from flu are not immunized or are only partially immunized,” Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Norton Children’s in Kentucky, said. “I think people forget that this is NOT just a cold.”

Side effects may be aches, chills and/or a low-grade fever for a day or two. If you’re feeling unwell, wait until you feel healthy again before you get your vaccine.