Babies, young kids, older adults, and those with chronic health problems can get seriously sick from the flu.“It provides community protection,” says William Schaffner, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. "We have a way for people to avoid unnecessary doctor's visits, to avoid unnecessary.You might balk at having to visit your doctor or pharmacy every year for yet another dose of the influenza vaccine, but there's a good reason for the repeat visits. After that, they can receive single annual doses of the flu … Like the egg-free vaccines, this one seems like it would be ideal for babies and kids, but it's approved only for adults 18 to 64.Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes,Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats,Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts.How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces?COVID-19 Vaccines: Updates You Need to Know,Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter,Flu Shots and Flu Vaccines: It's Not Too Late,Facts About Chronic Conditions and the Flu.Each year, thousands of people in the U.S. die from the flu and its complications. You're actually far safer getting the vaccine then skipping it. In the nasal spray vaccine the virus is severely weakened, so it's not likely to cause more than a few sniffles or sneezes. "It's a very commonly held myth, but it's just that," Weinberg says. People who get a flu shot are less likely to need to go to the hospital.And even if you’re healthy and not worried about getting sick, get a flu shot to protect your loved ones. “That’s your body reacting and making protection.”.William Schaffner, MD, medical director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases; professor of preventive medicine, department of health policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.Patricia Winokur, MD, director, Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, University of Iowa; professor of internal medicine, University of Iowa Health Care; executive dean, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.American Academy of Pediatrics: “AAP Issues Flu Vaccine Recommendations for 2018-2019.”.©2005-2019 WebMD LLC. ",WebMD Feature: "Flu Breakthrough: The Search for a Universal Vaccine. "One is because pregnant women have a higher rate of severe influenza and hospitalizations than non-pregnant women. ".Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, pediatric infectious disease specialist, professor of pediatrics, University of Rochester.Jeffrey Duchin, MD, chief of communicable disease epidemiology & immunization section, Seattle & King County Public Health; associate professor of medicine, University of Washington Division of Infectious Diseases.CDC: "The Nasal-Spray Flu Vaccine (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine [LAV]). All vaccines that are marketed for use in young children no longer contain thimerosal, but it is still found in some vaccines used in adults, including certain flu vaccines.Researchers have studied thimerosal extensively, and they haven't found any connection between the preservative and,CDC: "Estimating Seasonal Influenza-Associated Deaths in the United States: CDC Study Confirms Variability of Flu. All rights reserved.WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Intradermal flu vaccines go into the top layer of skin instead of the muscle, which means the needle can be 90% smaller than the kind used for a standard flu injection. "Â.25 ways to protect yourself from illness.© 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. Better to get them started early.But if you forget until later in the year, don’t worry that it’s too late to matter. The CDC says everyone over 6 months old should get a flu vaccination every year. Plus, when you get vaccinated against one strain of flu virus, your body makes antibodies that protect you against related strains, even if they're not exactly the same.Get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available at your doctor's office, public health clinic, supermarket, or wherever else it's offered in your area. Based on their predictions, the flu vaccine is formulated to protect against those three.Sometimes the flu virus will outsmart the experts and transform itself between their prediction and the beginning of the flu season. "The virus is sort of tricky in the way it reproduces from year to year, in that it shifts its chemical coating from season to season," explains Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester. The shot is approved for everyone over 6 months.Talk to your doctor if you have a history of.If you're not a fan of shots, the nasal spray vaccine is a good alternative, but it's only approved for non-pregnant people ages 2 to 49 who are generally in good health without chronic health conditions such as asthma,You probably know at least one person who claims he or she came down with the flu days after getting a flu vaccine. "It's recommended for two reasons," says Duchin.