In the waning days of summer, flu season still seems far away. Yet some pharmacy chains have begun urging customers to beat the crowds and schedule flu shots.
But experts said that for most people, getting the shot in early September may be too early to provide protection that will last throughout the flu season.
This year’s vaccines protect against different flu viruses, which can cause fever, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea and other symptoms. In severe cases, the infection can lead to hospitalization or even be fatal. Last season there were nearly 35 million cases of the flu nationwide. About 400,000 people were hospitalized with flu infections, and 25,000 people died.
When is the right time for a shot?
Ideally, you’ll want to get a flu shot before a case starts in your area. The problem is, it’s hard to predict when that will happen. Because it varies in different parts of the country and every year. The Covid-19 pandemic also disrupted the flu season, delaying the start and sharply reducing the spread of the flu virus from 2020 to 2022.
Dipta Bhattacharya, professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona, said last year’s flu season started to normalize. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Oct. 5 has been appointed.
Experts say most people should get vaccinated between mid-September and late October. The CDC recommends getting your shot by the end of October at the latest.
Generally speaking, your immune system peaks a week or two after the flu shot. Even after it peaks, the protection lasts for five or six months. This is usually enough protection to get you through the flu season, which starts in October and ends in March or April.
There are some exceptions to those recommendations. Pregnant women in their third trimester should get the vaccine now to provide flu immunity to their newborns, experts said.
Some children ages 6 months to 8 years need two flu shots four weeks apart. This includes children who have never had a flu shot, who have received only one dose, or who have an unknown vaccination history. Experts say that for young children, an initial course of two doses induces the best immune response to the flu. Alicia Budd, team lead in the influenza division at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said children who need two doses can now get their first shot.
Even if you miss your flu shot during the recommended window this fall, it’s still worth getting the vaccine, experts said: Protection late in the season is better than nothing.
What does the vaccine protect against and who should get it?
Every year, the World Health Organization studies data from Australia and South America, where the flu season starts early, to help drugmakers develop vaccines. For better security Against the flu virus likely to become prevalent in the United States.
This year, vaccines available in the United States are designed to protect against two Influenza A virus and an influenza B virus. (In previous years, flu vaccines targeted four viruses, but this year, drugmakers released one flu virus that largely disappeared during the pandemic.) Most of these are shots, given as injections in the arm, but nasal spray flu. is also According to vaccine experts this may be a good option Eligible patients Who is afraid of needles. There are specific high-dose vaccines for people 65 and older, who are at increased risk of serious illness.
Infection with the flu will also produce some immunity—but only against the specific flu virus that made you sick. The vaccine provides more comprehensive protection.
Experts say everyone benefits from the flu vaccine. Children, in particular, can spread the virus easily and are most susceptible to infection. Children under 5 years of age, especially those with other medical conditions, are at risk of serious illness. Yet only 57 percent of children and teens received one or more doses of the flu vaccine last season. According to CDC data.
A pediatric infectious disease physician at Norton Children’s in Kentucky, Dr. “Year after year, we see that many of the children who die from the flu are not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated,” said Christina Bryant. “I think people forget that this is not just a cold.”
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