Don’t wait, vaccinate
One quick shot can help you avoid serious illness this season. Here’s why you should get protected ASAP.
Crisp, cool weather is approaching, and so is flu season. That means one thing: It’s time to get your annual flu shot.
The flu is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by influenza viruses. It spreads through the air from person to person when they cough, sneeze, or talk. Every year, millions of people in the United States get sick with the flu. Flu season starts in October, peaks in the winter months when many people are indoors more often, and can last through May.
That’s why it’s key to prepare for flu season with a flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages six months and older get vaccinated. Here are four important reasons why you shouldn’t delay getting your shot.
1. The flu vaccine can take up to two weeks to work
It takes around two weeks for the flu shot to take full effect. That means the sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner you’ll be protected against the virus.
2. The flu shot may keep you from getting sick.
The flu shot lowers the overall risk of getting the flu by 40 to 60 percent, according to the CDC. The vaccine helps your immune system create antibodies, which are protective proteins that fight off viruses and other germs.
3. The shot can reduce your symptoms.
Like many vaccines, the flu shot isn’t 100 percent effective at preventing illness. But if you catch the flu, your symptoms may be milder and you may recover faster. That’s important for people 65 and older, because catching the flu can lead to serious complications. As you age, your immune system weakens and your body is more likely to catch another illness, such as pneumonia, while fighting the flu. Many older adults also have underlying conditions such as lung or heart disease, says the National Institute on Aging. That can make flu symptoms even more dangerous.
4. It can help protect your loved ones.
A flu shot doesn’t just protect you from illness. It also protects other people in your household or workplace from getting sick. The flu shot works best when most of us get it. After all, everyone who gets the flu catches it from someone else. That means that the more people get the vaccine, the less chances for the virus to spread.
Can’t get the flu shot by the end of October? It’s never too late. You can get vaccinated after that and still be protected this flu season.
