Flu Shots: Still Time for Protection, Doctor Says

It’s not too late for you and your family to get flu shots this winter. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Professor of Medicine John Gnann Jr., M.D., said ample supply of influenza vaccine and weeks before the state’s peak flu season make this a good time for shots.

December 2, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - It's not too late for you and your family to get flu shots this winter. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Professor of Medicine John Gnann Jr., M.D., said ample supply of influenza vaccine and weeks before the state's peak flu season make this a good time for shots.

"Influenza usually peaks in Alabama during January and February, so flu shots are a great idea even now," said Gnann, an infectious disease specialist.

Last year's flu season in Alabama was several months longer than anticipated, so a prolonged immunization push could reduce sickness, hospitalization, missed workdays and flu-related deaths, Gnann said. Another good reason? Those who get flu shots are less likely to spread the virus on to family, friends and neighbors, or anyone unprotected or incompletely protected by flu vaccine. This is called "herd immunity" in public health, and it's partly why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently expanded flu-shot recommendations to include all children from 6 months to age 18.

Gnann offers the following tips to help people avoid the flu:

  • It's never too late: Flu season begins in the late fall and can last through spring, so get your shot early, in December or in the new year - just do it.
  • Know your options: A nasal vaccine is available for healthy children age 2 and older, and for adults up to age 49. But FluMist® has restrictions, so ask a doctor.
  • Make it a habit: Six basic groups (listed) should get shots every year. *Caveat: flu shots are for anyone who wants to avoid the misery of flu.
    • Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
      Adults and children with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and those who come in contact with them at home
    • People aged 50 and older
    • Residents of nursing homes and long-term care centers
    • Women who will be pregnant during flu season
    • Healthcare workers and home caregivers for children and seniors

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