As COVID-19 continues its unwelcome march through the population, the world is focused on vaccinations. While it’s important to protect yourself against this potentially serious respiratory infection, there’s another that makes its rounds each year — the flu.
As we head into fall, now’s the time to get ready for the annual appearance of the flu, which is why Dr. Scott Lafferty and our team at Lafferty Family Care want to discuss the flu shot here.
The appearance of COVID-19 has reminded us about the behaviors of these types of viral infections which survive by mutating and creating new strains. This has always been the case with the influenza virus, which reappears each year with a new strain. It’s for this reason that we offer annual flu shots for maximum protection.
These shots are hardly guesses as to which strain will be most problematic, as there are 142 influenza centers in 112 countries that do nothing but track the flu around the world. These centers gather information throughout the year and then present it to one of six World Health Organization Collaborating Centers for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Control of Influenza, including the CDC’s Influenza Division in Atlanta, Georgia.
Researchers and scientists from each of these six entities then analyze the data and gather together twice a year to recommend the best composition for the flu vaccine for that year, at which point manufacturers get busy creating the vaccine.
The reason why we present this information here is because we want you to know there’s considerable research that goes into the annual flu shot, which is how it’s able to reduce serious illness by 40–60%.
The CDC recommends that almost everyone over the age of six months receives the annual flu shot (while we refer to this vaccine as a “shot,” it also comes in a nasal spray). There are rare examples when you shouldn’t get a flu shot, such as a severe egg allergy, but most other people are candidates.
There are also flu shots that are specifically designed for specific age groups, such as toddlers under the age of 6 months and adults over the age of 65.
When it comes to getting the flu shot while you’re pregnant, we recommend doing so, as the vaccine has a great safety record.
The flu tends to strike during winter, so we recommend that you get your flu shot here in September or October. For certain age groups, however, we do have more specific recommendations. First, even if we make the flu shot available in late summer, we urge seniors to wait until September or October so they can enter the flu season with a more potent defense.
On the other hand, kids can be vaccinated earlier, as they often require two vaccines that are spaced apart by four weeks. As well, if you’re in your third trimester of pregnancy, it’s a good idea to avail yourself of the vaccine as early as possible (late July or August). We understand that it’s too late this year to go for an earlier vaccine, but these are tips that may be worth remembering next summer.
If you miss getting your flu shot in September or October, we can still administer the vaccine later, which can help protect you for the remainder of the flu season.
To schedule your flu shot so you can head into winter with an added layer of protection, contact our office in Bentonville, Arkansas, to set up an appointment.
