Why You Need a Flu Shot This Year

Summer is over, are you ready for flu season? The best way to reduce your risk from seasonal flu and potentially serious complications is to get a flu vaccine every year. One reason: protecting yourself against the flu is easier than treating the flu. September and October are the best times to get vaccinated. Here are some reasons you need a flu shot this year.

Influenza/flu vaccines or “flu shots”, are recommended in the United States, and are shown to reduce the risk of flu and its potentially serious complications in vaccinated people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older with rare exceptions.

Flu vaccination has important benefits…

• PREVENTATIVE: Every year, it prevents flu illnesses, doctor’s visits, and missed work or school. It also reduces flu-related hospitalizations and deaths. The CDC estimates that the flu has caused between 4,900 and 51,000 deaths in the US each year between 2010 and 2023.

• PROTECTIVE: It is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
  
• PREGNANCY: For pregnant women it helps protect them from flu illness and hospitalization. It has also been shown to help protect the baby from flu infection for several months after birth, before the baby can be vaccinated.

• CHILDREN: A 2017 study showed that it can be lifesaving in children.

• REDUCES SEVERITY: While some still get sick, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness.

Why it’s important to get vaccinated every year…

• Flu viruses are constantly changing. Vaccines can be updated from one season to the next to protect against the viruses that are expected to be common during that flu season.
• Your protection from a flu vaccine declines over time. Yearly vaccination is needed for the best protection.
• Vaccination are particularly important for people who are at higher risk of developing serious influenza complications.

While influenza viruses spread year-round, flu activity often begins to increase in October. Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the timing and duration of flu activity has been less predictable.

For most people who need only one dose of influenza vaccine for the season, September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against influenza. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. 

Flu vaccines are offered in many doctors’ offices and clinics, and other locations, including: health departments, pharmacies, urgent care clinics, health centers, or the workplace.

Getting a flu vaccine each year is an important step towards keeping you and your family healthy. If you have questions about the flu vaccine or where to get one, West Tennessee Medical Group Primary Care Clinics are here to help. Find a location near you.