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Each twelvemonth , as drop brings myopic , colder days to the Northern Hemisphere , we ’re reminded to get vaccinated against the influenza , orinfluenza . In the U.S. , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) recommends that everyone over 6 calendar month old meet aflu shotevery year .
But is there a meter point of accumulation on getting your flu shot ? Although it ’s good to get vaccinate before the season kick off in earnest , it ’s still beneficial to get one toward the end of the time of year , two infectious - disease experts told Live Science . That advice may be even more relevant as the2024 - 2025 grippe seasonshapes up to be peculiarly " high - severity " , according to theCDC . That ’s because the strains of the flu distribute this time of year are get more ramification and feign vernal children more than common .
There’s still a benefit to getting vaccinated late in flu season, if you missed the ideal time window in the fall.
Related : How do the great unwashed kick the bucket of the grippe ?
Normally , flu vaccinum become available in belated summer . Specific groups , such as pregnant people in their third trimester , might weigh vaccination in the summer . But the CDC recommends that most eligible people get vaccinated in the fall , by theend of October , as this is when cases get down to uprise .
" In the U.S. , we often say to get vaccinated around October , because that ’s when cases start going up and we know that the flu vaccinum give you undecomposed protection over a certain period of time,“Dr . Sabrina Assoumou , an associate professor of medicine at Boston University and an attending Dr. at Boston Medical Center , told Live Science .
The flu vaccine protects against the strains of influenza virus (illustrated above) predicted to be most prevalent in a given season.
But if you miss that time window for some ground , you should still get a flu shot .
" Flu time of year typically continue through March , and it in the main pick out about two hebdomad after bring forth a flu shot for immunity to start kicking in,“Dr . Daniel Kuritzkes , chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women ’s Hospital in Boston , told Live Science in an email . So , if you have n’t been immunize yet , it still relieve oneself sensory faculty to do so through the end of February , and maybe even into early March , he said .
There would also be " no harm " in getting immunize after March or April , view that influenza viruses spread all year round , Kuritzkes say . However , practically speaking , the jeopardy of catching influenza in the spring or summertime is " so downhearted " that health care professionals do n’t by and large centre on vaccinations once flu season is over , he say .
If you have n’t have disgusted by January , it may be tempting to cerebrate , " Oh , the holiday are done ; I ’ve dodged a heater , " Assoumou said . However , cases can peak as late as February and still fall out later in influenza season . The later you get vaccinated , the shorter your window of uncommitted protection for that fussy influenza season , Assoumou added .
Notably , the peak of flu season has been difficult to omen in late years due to COVID-19 .
Flu transmissionmost often peaks in Februaryin the U.S. , but the COVID-19pandemictemporarily disrupt the timing . For illustration , in 2020 , flu transmission reachedhistorically low floor . Between 2021 and 2022 , flu infection begin to rise again , peaking in later December 2021 then again in April 2022 , but transmitting rates stay highuntil mid - June . Then , between 2022 and 2023 , transmission peak inlate November and other December . In2024 and 2025 , grippe contagion seems to have returned to its normal timeline , with high transmission recorded from late December through February .
This suggests that " we ’re move back towards more typical patterns in term of influenza epidemiology , " Kuritzkes said . Therefore , getting a flu nip in the fall continues to make the most sense , he said .
But what if you ’ve already had the flu this season ? Is it still worth getting vaccinated ?
Although it may seem counterintuitive , experts say yes , you should still get a flu nip . That ’s because many strains of influenza circulate each year . These strains fall into two broad family — influenza A and grippe vitamin B — that are responsible for for seasonal epidemics of the disease .
" For reason we do n’t to the full infer , in a typical twelvemonth the majority of cases seen betimes in flu season tend to be flu A , whereas pillow slip due to grippe B are more common later in the time of year , " in February and March , Kuritzkes said .
" Therefore , an unvaccinated person who gets flu in December or January from one type of influenza could still be susceptible to take in grippe again later in the time of year from the other case , " he say .
The annual influenza vaccine is designed to provide security against themajor stress of influenzathat are expected to circulate in that particular season . Flu vaccine in the U.S. are " trivalent , " meaning they protect against three strain . Until the 2024 - 2025 season , the flu vaccine protected against four strains , but researcher found thatone strain had gone nonextant .
Even if you still get the flu after being inoculate , you ’re much less likely to spring up a severe transmission orto be hospitalise , Assoumou said . " The role of these vaccine is to convert asevere transmission into a soft one , " she said . One studyfound that the 2024 - 2025 influenza vaccinum cut the number of severe influenza cases requiring aesculapian treatment in half in immunised versus unvaccinated individuals .
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The influenza can be deadly , so vaccination is really important , Assoumou said . This is specially on-key for people who are at aheightened risk of flu complications , such as those who are pregnant , over years 65 or have underlying chronic wellness precondition , such as asthma orheart disease , according to the CDC . Agrowing organic structure of researchalso suggest that getting vaccinate against influenza can support cardiovascular wellness . This may be because hard case of the flu can trigger new cardiovascular job or exacerbate exist ones .
Getting the flu vaccine is the " expert way to protect yourself and the biotic community , " regardless of when you receive it , Assoumou said .
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intend to tender medical advice .
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