New Flu Vaccine Recommendations As Influenza Season Comes

Last weekend, rapper Drake canceled his concerts in Miami because he was suffering from a flu case, confirmed his representatives. It was a reminder that the flu season, which caused a lot of casualties last year, is near.

"We can see flu all year – 12 months a year," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton at "Good Morning America". In the United States, the flu season, during which the number of diseases is highest, tends to extend from October to March.

That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publish their annual recommendations on the flu vaccine. The agency recommends that each person aged 6 months and over be vaccinated against the flu each season, ideally by the end of October.

Even if this deadline is exceeded, it is always useful to get vaccinated, especially if the flu continues in the community at the end of the year. In the past, the virus persisted until May.

After receiving a flu shot, it takes two weeks to develop the antibodies needed to protect against the infection. This means that it is better to get vaccinated before the flu season starts to show complete immune benefits.

Since the flu virus changes from year to year, the vaccine is changing as well. Last year's influenza vaccine is therefore not being postponed to this season. These fluctuations make it difficult to predict the severity of the flu. This was demonstrated last year, with a circulating strain of influenza, H3N2, mismatched with the vaccine.

Although the vaccine may be flawed, it's the best defense we continue to make in the field.

"There's a new flu shot now, it's based on the predictions of what this year's strains will be," Ashton said, "so you have to get it this fall."

With some pharmacies storing and administering the vaccine during the summer months, questions have been raised as to whether it is too early to get vaccinated.

"There is now a bit of controversy in the medical literature," Ashton said. "If you get it too early, does our immune protection diminish by the end of the flu season?"

Some studies have shown that the protective antibodies produced in response to the vaccine may decrease over time. But there are a number of variables in the human immune response; some relate to vaccine components, others to the health of the vaccinated person and at age.

Useful protection for the year has been demonstrated in healthy adults aged 18 to 49 years. While some fear that adults aged 65 and over are more likely to be less protected over time, research shows that antibodies are still present in large amounts six months after firing and, more importantly, , even .

Influenza is a serious infection that kills a lot every year and older people and young children are particularly vulnerable. This is why most health officials will agree that being vaccinated against the flu, even if it is early, is far better than the absence of any flu vaccine.

Now that the end of September has arrived, now is the time to get vaccinated for the flu season.

Amisha Ahuja is a Resident in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.