As flu season approaches, it’s more important than ever to take proactive steps to protect yourself and your loved ones. The flu can be more than just a mild inconvenience; it can lead to serious health complications, especially in vulnerable populations. However, it is not just flu vaccines the CDC recommends taking, vaccines such as the Covid booster and RSV are also recommended. Here’s what you need to know to stay healthy this season.
The Importance of the Flu Vaccine & Who Should Get Vaccinated?
Getting vaccinated is the most effective way to prevent the flu. The flu vaccine is designed to protect against the most common strains expected each year. While no vaccine is 100% effective, the flu shot significantly reduces your risk of getting sick, and if you do catch the flu, your symptoms are likely to be milder.
For the 2024-25 flu season, the flu vaccine is designed to protect against three viruses: H1N1, H3N2 and B/Victoria.
Should You Get the Flu Vaccine?
- Everyone 6 months and older: The CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for nearly everyone in this age group.
- High-risk groups: It’s especially important for older adults, young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic health conditions, such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases, to get vaccinated.
- People with severe, life-threatening allergies to ingredients in the flu vaccine should not be given this vaccine. It’s best to talk to your healthcare provider to see whether other options are more suitable for your condition.
Tips to Reduce Your Risk
In addition to getting vaccinated, there are several strategies you can adopt to minimize your risk of catching or spreading the flu:
- Practice Good Hygiene: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when soap isn’t available.
- Avoid Close Contact: Try to avoid close contact with sick individuals. If you’re feeling under the weather, stay home to prevent spreading the virus to others.
- Boost Your Immune System: Maintain a healthy diet, stay hydrated, and get plenty of sleep to keep your immune system strong. Regular exercise can also help.
- Disinfect Common Areas: Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched, such as doorknobs, light switches, and your phone.
- Cover Coughs and Sneezes: Always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze, and dispose of tissues properly.
Importance of the Covid-19 Vaccine
The CDC recommends that anyone 6 months and older take the updated Covid-19 vaccine. Since SARS-Cov-2 is always changing and mutating, it is important to take updated vaccine shots in order to protect the body against any new variants.
This is why it is important to take the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine shot.
Last year, those who took the 2023-2024 updated vaccine shot, saw “greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not receive the 2023-2024 vaccine” (CDC).
Why is COVID-19 vaccine still recommended?
The 2024-25 COVID vaccine is targeted at the newer variants of the virus. Being previously infected with COVID-19 or vaccinated against it is not enough to protect you against the newer strains of the virus. In fact, immunity that you acquire from infection or vaccination weakens over time and may not protect you adequately.
Even though COVID-19 is no longer a pandemic, there are many adverse side effects that could occur in people infected with COVID-19, both short term and long term. In the case of long term effects, that may stay for months after diagnosis, often called “long COVID”, here are some (Mayo):
- Memory problems, also known as “brain fog”
- Lightheadedness
- Problems with taste or smell
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
COVID-19 Eligibility:
- The CDC recommends that you wait three months to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you have had a recent COVID-19 infection.
- Anyone 5 years of age or older should receive a single shot of the updated vaccine.
- Children between 6 months to 4 years or those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may need more than one shot.
- COVID-19 vaccine is especially recommended for individuals 65 years of age and older, at risk for severe complications from COVID-19, living in a long-term care facility, or have never received the COVID-19 vaccine before.
- COVID-19 vaccines are especially recommended for pregnant women and are perfectly safe to take during pregnancy. In fact, antibodies from the vaccine can help protect the mother as well as the baby after birth.
- If you recently received your COVID-19 2023-24 vaccination, it’s recommended that you wait two months before getting your 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. There are certain exceptions to this, including if you are completing your initial vaccination series. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.
Importance of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine:
According to the CDC, the RSV vaccine can prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus. While it can affect people of all ages, it can be particularly severe for two groups of people:
- Infants who are up to 12 months, especially those who are 6 months of younger, those born prematurely, those with a chronic lung or heart disease, and those with a weakened immune system.
- High risk adults such as those with chronic medical conditions, weakened immune systems, or any other underlying medical conditions, or those who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities().
The CDC recommends that adults 60 or over have the option to receive a single dose of the vaccine, while for infants, there are two options available. One is a maternal vaccine for the pregnant mother and the other is preventative antibodies for the infant.
In the case of the maternal vaccine, the CDC recommends taking the vaccine between 32 weeks to 36 weeks of pregnancy and is recommended to be given between September and January in most of the US.
Don’t Wait!
By taking these steps, you can significantly lower your chances of getting the flu, COVID-19, or RSV, and help protect those around you.
At Los Gatos Doc, we recommend that you schedule a physical examination to discuss your vaccinations needs. To learn about vaccines we recommend for your protection, please schedule an appointment with Dr. V today.
Stay informed, stay prepared, and most importantly, stay healthy this fall season!