National Influenza Vaccination Week

This year’s National Influenza Vaccination Week is from Dec. 5-11

The CDC recommends flu shots for anyone six months and older every season. The flu vaccination helps reduce flu illnesses, doctor’s visits, and missed work/school as well as flu-related hospitalizations. September and October are the recommended months to receive your flu vaccination because it gives you protection before the flu starts spreading in your community. People who are most at risk from flu complications are young children, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, and the elderly. Although recommended vaccination is earlier in the year, National Influenza Vaccination Week is to remind people around the holidays to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their families.

Common flu vaccine misconceptions:

Can the flu vaccine give you the flu?

No! Flu vaccines are made with inactivated viruses or with a single protein from the flu virus. Flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness.

Is it better to get sick with the flu than to get a flu vaccine?

No! The flu can be a serious disease among vulnerable populations which, in some cases, can result in death. Flu infection can carry serious complications, even among healthy children and adults. Getting vaccinated is the safer way to achieve immune protection.

My friend received their flu vaccine and still got sick with the flu.

The flu vaccine’s ability to protect someone depends on the similarity between the vaccine virus and the virus that is spreading and causes illnesses. There are many flu viruses that cause illness. If someone gets the flu after being vaccinated, the vaccine will still reduce the severity of the illness.

For more information about the flu vaccine, please visit CDC’s website.

It is not too late to get your vaccination. If you’re looking to receive your flu vaccine, Community Health Alliance offers the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which protects against four different flu viruses, as well as the high-dose flu vaccine for seniors 65+. We host various community vaccine clinics as well as offer the flu vaccine in our health centers for our patients and community at large.