Why You Should Get the Flu Shot This Year (And Every Year)

Author: Melinda Sineriz / Source: did you know?

The 2017-2018 flu season was one of the worst on record, resulting in an estimated 80,000 deaths in the United States. What’s frustrating for medical professionals is the fact that these deaths are largely preventable with the flu vaccine. Many people are reluctant to get vaccinated, though; people are concerned about getting the flu after being vaccinated, maybe, or they feel they’re young and healthy enough not to need it.

Those concerns may be unfounded, though. Here are some common questions about getting the flu shot, and their answers:

When should I get vaccinated?

The CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October, but even if it’s after that, you can still benefit from the flu shot. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take effect, which is why people sometimes think the vaccine has given them the flu – they just weren’t vaccinated early enough and caught a virus in that intermediate 2-week period.