When is the best time to get the seasonal flu shot?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone aged 6 months and older get the vaccine for the current flu season.

Every season, with a few exceptions, people should be looking for a flu shot, according to the CDC. Vaccination is especially important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from the flu.

September and October are considered the best months to get a flu shot.

The flu shot has been shown to have significant benefits, officials said. It can reduce flu illnesses, doctor visits, and absences from work and school due to the flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations and deaths.

Flu shots prevent tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year, according to the CDC. For example, during the 2019 and 2020 influenza season, vaccination prevented approximately 105,000 influenza-related hospitalizations.

A 2014 study showed that influenza vaccination reduced the risk of influenza-related pediatric intensive care unit admissions by 74% during the 2010-2012 influenza seasons.

Another study found that between 2009 and 2016, influenza vaccines reduced the risk of influenza-associated hospitalization in the elderly by about 40% on average and reduced adults vaccinated against admitted flu by 82%. in an intensive care unit.

Pregnant women can also receive vaccines and studies have shown that this reduces the risk of acute respiratory infection associated with influenza in pregnant women by about 50%.

Early vaccination may be considered for women in the third trimester of pregnancy. This can help protect their infants during the first months of life when they are still too young to be vaccinated directly.

Different influenza vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people:

• There are influenza vaccines approved for use in children as young as 6 months of age and influenza vaccines approved for use in adults 65 years of age and older.
• Flu shots are also recommended for pregnant people and people with certain chronic health conditions.
• The nasal spray influenza vaccine is approved for use in non-pregnant people aged 2 to 49 years. Pregnant people and people with certain medical conditions should not receive the influenza vaccine by nasal spray.

However, not everyone should be vaccinated, including those with severe and life-threatening allergies to any of the ingredients in a flu shot. In addition, people who have had a severe allergic reaction to a dose of influenza vaccine should no longer receive this influenza vaccine and may not be able to receive other influenza vaccines.

Egg allergies could be dangerous for people with a flu shot. Adults, especially those 65 years of age and older, should generally not get vaccinated early (July or August) as protection may wane over time, but early vaccination may be considered for anyone who cannot. come back later to get the vaccine.