It's Fall — Time to Schedule Your Flu Shot

The cool days of fall will soon be upon us, and that means the height of flu season is just a few weeks away, too. Every year, millions of people get sick with the flu, and many of them go on to develop serious complications, like pneumonia.

John Terzian, MD, FACC, and our team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, help you stay healthy during flu season and all year round with flu vaccines and other preventive care focused on keeping infections at bay. In this post, learn why now is the ideal time to schedule your flu shot.

Fall is the ideal time to get vaccinated

Flu infections can happen all year round, but the virus peaks during fall and winter. The release of each year’s flu shot is typically timed for late summer, giving people plenty of time to get vaccinated before the brunt of the season hits. 

Flu infections spread through the air and from touching contaminated surfaces, making the virus extremely contagious. During the cooler months of the year, we tend to spend a lot more time indoors, surrounded by other people at school, work, and other settings. Being in closer contact with other people increases the likelihood we’ll be infected or pass the flu to someone else.

Getting a flu vaccine in the early days of fall or late days of summer gives your body time to prepare its defenses, dramatically reducing your risk of getting sick and the risk you’ll pass the illness to someone else. That’s important for everyone, but especially for people more likely to develop severe, life-threatening complications — for instance, very young kids, older people, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases or weak immune systems.

How the flu shot works

Vaccines work by prompting your immune system to produce germ-fighting antibodies that recognize and fight off specific germs. The flu vaccine is uniquely designed to prompt your body to produce flu antibodies. 

You can’t “catch” the flu from a flu vaccine because the shots don’t contain any live virus. Instead, the vaccine “teaches” your immune system how to react if you’re exposed to the flu virus. 

That said, you might develop flu-like symptoms after a vaccine. Low-grade fever, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site are all common side effects, and rather than indicating illness, these “symptoms” mean your immune system is responding the way it’s supposed to, producing antibodies to fight infections in the future. 

Flu viruses change from year to year: Each year, one or two strains of the virus are more prevalent than others. For this reason, flu vaccines are reformulated every year, and you need to have a new vaccine every flu season.

Annual flu vaccines are for everyone

The CDC recommends a flu shot every year for everyone, beginning at 6 months old. By scheduling your vaccine as soon as possible, you take a proactive step toward protecting your own health, that of your loved ones, and your community.

If you haven’t had your flu shot yet, don’t wait. Request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, today and enjoy better health all year long.