When someone feels healthy, getting a flu shot can be one of those fall tasks that keeps slipping down the list. They mean to schedule it after school starts, then after that busy weekend, then sometime before the holidays. Maybe someone rarely gets sick, works from home or figures they'll simply stay home if they start feeling under the weather.
But there's a good reason not to let it keep slipping: Flu prevention isn't only about the risk of getting sick. Getting vaccinated may also help protect loved ones, including older relatives, young children and others who may face a greater risk of serious flu complications. As fall fills up with school events, family gatherings and holiday plans, getting a flu shot is one simple step people can take now to help protect the people — and moments — that matter most.
Most people picture a contagious illness as something obvious: a fever, a persistent cough and a person bundled up on the couch. The flu does not always announce itself that clearly.
Influenza viruses may be detected beginning about one day before symptoms develop. That means someone can feel well enough to go to work, attend school pickup, meet friends or stop at the grocery store while unknowingly carrying the virus.
Getting vaccinated may reduce the risk of becoming sick with the flu, helping people stay healthier through the busy fall season.
Even an ordinary week can involve dozens of small interactions. Someone may share an elevator, sit in a waiting room, chat with another parent after school or stand in line beside someone at the pharmacy.
And some of the people at greater risk may be much closer to home: an aging parent someone sees every weekend, a new baby in the family or a loved one managing a health condition.
There are several groups at increased risk of flu complications, including adults ages 65 and older, young children, pregnant people and people with certain chronic medical conditions. Babies younger than 6 months are too young to receive a flu vaccine themselves.
Getting a flu shot is one simple way people can help protect those around them.
Good health can reduce some risks, but it doesn't guarantee someone will avoid a serious case of the flu.
Flu can disrupt much more than a few days of someone's routine. It can mean missed work, canceled family plans, lost school days and a longer recovery than expected. In some cases, it can lead to serious complications or hospitalization.
While flu vaccines do not prevent every case, vaccination may reduce the risk of getting sick with flu and may also reduce the severity of illness and the risk of serious complications.
Getting vaccinated isn't about expecting the worst. It's about taking a simple preventive step that may lower the risk and help reduce disruptions for the people who count on someone..
Flu season affects entire communities, not just the people who get sick. When illness moves through a community, its effects can show up in understaffed workplaces, disrupted classrooms, canceled activities and added strain on health care providers.
No one can prevent every case of the flu. But vaccination, handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when someone is sick may all help reduce its spread.
An annual flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions. For most people who need one dose during the season, September and October are generally good times to get vaccinated, making the start of fall a helpful reminder to put a flu shot on the calendar.
Anyone with questions about vaccination, a medical condition, previous vaccine reactions or the type of flu vaccine that may be appropriate should speak with a health care provider.
Fall fills up quickly with school events, weekend activities, family gatherings and, before long, holiday plans. Getting a flu shot before the season gets even busier is one way people can help protect their health and reduce the chances that flu will interfere with the moments they don't want to miss.
CVS Pharmacy can also help make vaccination easier to fit into a busy fall schedule by offering:
Feeling healthy is something worth protecting. This flu season, getting vaccinated can help extend that protection beyond the front door.
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