CDC:80,000 people died of flu last winter in US

[ChicagoGranny]

Time to get vaccinated! http://www.fox5atlanta.com/health/cdc-8 ... nter-in-us

[greatunclebill]

my wife and i had ours last week.

[Lucyhere]

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body's immune response to fully respond and for you to be protected, so make plans to get vaccinated. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. However, getting vaccinated later can still be beneficial.Aug 30, 2018

Frequently Asked Flu Questions 2018-2019 Influenza Season - CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/fl ... 8-2019.htm

[greatunclebill]

what part of this says wait til mid october? it says get it by the end of october. september is still by the end of ocober.

When should I get vaccinated?
You should get a flu vaccine before flu begins spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body, so make plans to get vaccinated early in fall, before flu season begins. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout flu season, even into January or later.

Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart.

[D.H.]

Is there such a ting as too early? That is so early that it will stop being effective before the end of the flu season.

[knothead]

Me and the boss got our flu shots a week ago. We get it every year.

[Okie bipap]

We got ours last Saturday. My neighbor, a teacher in one of the local school systems, said the first case of the flu has already shown up in that school system.

[ChicagoGranny]

Is there such a ting as too early? That is so early that it will stop being effective before the end of the flu season.

------------------------------------------------------->

How long your own flu shot lasts depends on how powerfully your own immune system reacts to it, said Dr. John J. Treanor, a vaccine expert at the University of Rochester medical school. In a young, healthy person, protection might last for years, even as circulating flu strains change. Conversely, he said, there is some debate about whether older people or those with compromised immune systems ought to get two flu shots per season, since a shot they got in October may wear off by March or April.

"It's a controversial question, and there's not a lot of direct data on it," Dr. Treanor said.

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/ ... shot-last/?

The data is even more sparse on the high-dose vaccine (Fluzone). One might expect that protection would last some months longer than mentioned above. Again, this would depend on the individual.

Anecdotally, before the high-dose vaccine was available, Gramps was very concerned about his October vaccine losing its effectiveness during the first quarter of the following year. He was traveling heavily and widely internationally at the time and was concerned about the flu. He took a flu vaccine in early October and a second one in mid January.

[Woody]

I have already gotten mine. You remember about years ago when the swine flu was
going round well I got it and the funny thing is I didn't get deathly sick but coughed for
a long long time. I ended up losing about 25 lbs because of it but unfortunately the weight
all came back .

[MrsRinPDX]

I got mine Tuesday. According to the RN, any time now is fine, the earlier in the flu season the better.

Last year I didn't get the flu, but I did catch a nasty virus. I was coughing so hard I couldn't wear my full face mask for fear of throwing up in it. This year I am prepared with a Nasal Pillow mask.

[SewTired]

Is there such a ting as too early? That is so early that it will stop being effective before the end of the flu season.

If you are over 60 or have immune suppressed system, CDC recommends waiting until late October. This is because their system may not continue to react come March, when the flu is still around.

This article from Consumer Reports explains it. https://www.consumerreports.org/flu-vac ... u-vaccine/.

I just had the second Shingles shot so am waiting until later October for flu shot this year. If you have an egg allergy, the cell-based flu vaccines should be more widely available this year. However, it is generally only available in clinics and you need to contact your doc in advance. Most clinics only order so many vials of this and once it's gone, they don't get more. It has been commonly used in Europe and US was supposed to switch to this method in 2019, but I think that has been delayed.

[nicholasjh1]

Is there such a ting as too early? That is so early that it will stop being effective before the end of the flu season.

If you are over 60 or have immune suppressed system, CDC recommends waiting until late October. This is because their system may not continue to react come March, when the flu is still around.

This article from Consumer Reports explains it. https://www.consumerreports.org/flu-vac ... u-vaccine/.

I just had the second Shingles shot so am waiting until later October for flu shot this year. If you have an egg allergy, the cell-based flu vaccines should be more widely available this year. However, it is generally only available in clinics and you need to contact your doc in advance. Most clinics only order so many vials of this and once it's gone, they don't get more. It has been commonly used in Europe and US was supposed to switch to this method in 2019, but I think that has been delayed.

Ugh, thanks for the reminder, I need to order that at my docs.

[ChicagoGranny]

If you are over 60 or have immune suppressed system, CDC recommends waiting until late October.

No, that is Consumer Reports' suggestion not the CDC's.

CDC

When should I get vaccinated?
You should get a flu vaccine before flu begins spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later.

Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/consumer/vaccinations.htm

Consumer Reports

Two groups might benefit from waiting a bit before getting the shot: people 60 and older and those who have a compromised immune system due to conditions such as autoimmune disease or HIV, or who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Research suggests that for at least some people in those groups, the immune system’s virus-fighting ability begins to drop after about four months—sooner than it may for others.

This evidence is not definitive, however, and even if the vaccine’s strength does decrease, it still seems to provide some protection after the four-month mark, Schaffner says.

Still, people who are older or have underlying conditions like those mentioned above might want to wait until late September or early October to be vaccinated—and to be sure that their protection will cover as much of flu season as possible.

https://www.consumerreports.org/flu-vac ... u-vaccine/

[greatunclebill]

If you are over 60 or have immune suppressed system, CDC recommends waiting until late October.

No, that is Consumer Reports' suggestion not the CDC's.

CDC

When should I get vaccinated?
You should get a flu vaccine before flu begins spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later.

Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/consumer/vaccinations.htm

Consumer Reports

Two groups might benefit from waiting a bit before getting the shot: people 60 and older and those who have a compromised immune system due to conditions such as autoimmune disease or HIV, or who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Research suggests that for at least some people in those groups, the immune system’s virus-fighting ability begins to drop after about four months—sooner than it may for others.

This evidence is not definitive, however, and even if the vaccine’s strength does decrease, it still seems to provide some protection after the four-month mark, Schaffner says.

Still, people who are older or have underlying conditions like those mentioned above might want to wait until late September or early October to be vaccinated—and to be sure that their protection will cover as much of flu season as possible.

https://www.consumerreports.org/flu-vac ... u-vaccine/

Very good reply. If others want to get their medical advice from consumer reports, good for them. i'll get my advice from my doctor that told me to get it last week.

[chunkyfrog]

We had ours a couple weeks ago.
If flu season here is too long, our doctor may have us stuck again.
It is not completely unheard of.