Is it Ever Too Late for a Flu Shot?

Getting your flu shot is part of the fall routine. Each year, doctors and researchers determine which strains of the influenza virus they think will be dominant over the winter months, and they include them in the updated vaccine.

At Primecare Family Practice, board-certified family practitioners Maryline Ongangi, APRN, FNP-C and Lewis Nyantika, APRN, FNP-C offer flu shots to patients as part of our preventive care services. We get asked a lot about the best time to get the vaccine, but is it ever too late? Here’s what our experts have to say.

Why a flu shot?

The influenza vaccine conveys important benefits. It can reduce illness due to the flu, visits to doctor's offices, and missed work and school because you’re sick. It can also make symptoms less severe and reduce flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in those who get vaccinated but still get sick.

Who should get a flu shot?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone six months and older should get a flu shot every fall, with rare exceptions. The vaccination is particularly important for people at higher risk of serious complications, such as the elderly and immunocompromised.

There are many different flu shots, most of them age-based.

Standard-dose inactivated flu vaccines are approved for people as young as six months of age, but for people under 65 years, the CDC doesn’t recommend one flu vaccine over another.

Some vaccines, though, are only appropriate for adults. The recombinant flu vaccine is approved for anyone 18 years and older, and the adjuvanted and high-dose inactivated vaccines are approved for those 65 years and older.

If none of the three flu vaccines preferentially recommended for people 65 and older is available when you go to get vaccinated, you can get any other age-appropriate flu vaccine instead.

For many people from 2-49, the nasal spray flu vaccine is another option. However, it’s not recommended for women who are pregnant and people with certain medical conditions. Your doctor can advise you what to do.

When should I get vaccinated against the flu?

Most people require only a single dose of the flu vaccine for the season, and the best time to get it is sometime in September or October. It takes about two weeks to develop the necessary antibodies to the virus;  ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October so that the vaccine covers the entire flu season, from November through May.

There are, however, some exceptions:

Most adults, particularly those 65 and older, and those who are pregnant in the first or second trimester, shouldn’t get vaccinated early (in July or August), because protection decreases over time, and the vaccination won’t be effective for the whole flu season.

However, if you won’t be able to get vaccinated during the regular period, early administration is better than none.

Some children require two doses of the vaccine. For these children, the first dose should be given as soon as the vaccine becomes available because the second dose has to be given at least four weeks after the first.

Vaccination during July and August can also be considered for women in the third trimester of pregnancy because it can help protect the infant for the first few months after birth when they’re too young to be vaccinated.

Is it ever too late for a flu shot?

Some protection is always better than no protection, but if you wait until January or February to get your flu shot, you risk getting sick early in the season, and you’re likely to be worse off than if you had the shot and became infected.

Influenza in an unvaccinated person is potentially serious and can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death, according to the CDC.

Bottom line? Follow the CDC’s guidelines for getting your flu shot when it maximizes protection against the virus.

Want more information about flu shots? Need to make an appointment to get one? Call Primecare Family Practice at 817-873-3710, or book online with us today.