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Rambhia noted that doctors often wanted to vaccinate patients who presented themselves for annual or biannual visits during the summer, as they might not have the opportunity, if not, at some point in time. timely.
"The CDC is encouraging early vaccination because of this potentially lost opportunity for people who may not be looking for the vaccine elsewhere," he said.
The CDC Advisory Committee recommends receiving the vaccine by the end of October. However, according to the agency, getting vaccinated in December or later, even though influenza activity has already begun, is probably beneficial during most seasons. National Influenza Immunization Week takes place in December.
"The recommendation is just for people to get the vaccine and have the levels (of antibodies) .It takes 10 to 14 days to get the vaccine levels in your system, so you are protected.Choose the end of the month By October, it's more sure that people get vaccinated and have the levels, so when the flu strikes, they are affected, "said Tanaya Bhowmick, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Robert Wood Johnson Rutgers School of Medicine.
Although the optimal time to vaccinate is before the start of influenza activity, it is difficult to predict the time of the season. In the last 75 influenza seasons, 75% of all influenza activity was peak in January or later. Influenza activity peaked in February, most of the times, for 15 seasons, whereas it peaked in October or November only twice. The historically long and intense 2017-2018 season was marked by high activity nationwide until the end of March, with viruses still reported in May.
"Getting vaccinated in August does not really make sense, especially if you do not know how long it will last," Bhowmick said.
Although vaccines are available in summer in many places, only about 2.2% of Americans get the flu shot by September, according to CDC data from recent seasons. October has always been a record month, with 17% of people vaccinated at that time.
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