How long is the effectiveness of the flu shot

Acute Back Injuries. Sinus Infections. Acute Bronchitis. Sore Throat. Ear Infections. Workers' Comp Services. Physicals for Children. DOT Physicals and Testing. Pre-Employment Physicals. Virtual Appointments. Online Doctor Visits. Benefits of Virtual Appointments. Getting your flu shot each year is the best way to decrease your chances of getting sick with the flu. Additionally, when more people receive the flu vaccine, the virus is less able to circulate in the community.

You should aim to receive your flu shot every fall before influenza virus activity begins to pick up within your area. They also expect to see more flu…. Click to enter Healthline's interactive bathroom, fully stocked with must-haves for this cold and flu season.

Have you ever noticed how certain personality traits come out when flu season is upon us? Take this quiz to find out yours.

Even if breakthrough infections do occur, getting your flu shot offers many protective benefits, for you and those around you. Experts say October is a prime month for flu vaccinations, because the shot strengthens your immune system before flu season is fully under way.

Medical experts are raising concerns that the current spike of COVID cases could collide with the fall flu season, placing an even greater strain…. Experts say the recent surge in COVID cases as well as children returning to classrooms makes flu vaccinations more important this fall. Flu shots will be available in the United States soon, but experts are worried vaccine hesitancy could reduce the number of people who get vaccinated. If effective, it may provide greater protection than previous vaccines and may….

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Cameron White, M. How the flu vaccine works. When the flu vaccine starts working. How long the flu shot lasts. When to get the flu shot. These drugs are not a substitute for vaccination and must be prescribed by a health care provider. To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address:.

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On This Page. How effective are flu vaccines? What factors influence how well flu vaccines work? What are the benefits of flu vaccination? Are flu vaccines effective against all types of flu and cold viruses? Does flu vaccine effectiveness vary by type or subtype? Why is flu vaccine typically less effective against influenza A H3N2 viruses? How effective are flu vaccines in older adults? If older people have weaker immune responses to flu vaccination, should they still get vaccinated?

How effective are flu vaccines in children? How are benefits of vaccination measured? How does CDC measure how well flu vaccines work?

Why are confidence intervals important for understanding flu vaccine effectiveness? Is it true that getting vaccinated repeatedly can reduce vaccine effectiveness? Why are there so many different outcomes for vaccine effectiveness studies? How does CDC measure how well the vaccine works?

What do recent vaccine effectiveness studies show? Do recent vaccine effectiveness study results support flu vaccination? Where can I get more information? Besides vaccination, how can people protect themselves against the flu? Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu. For example, during flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7. During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent.

Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick. A study external icon showed that among adults hospitalized with flu, vaccinated patients were 59 percent less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those who had not been vaccinated.

Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization. Flu vaccination prevents tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year. For example, during flu vaccination prevented an estimated , flu-related hospitalizations.

A study found that during , flu vaccines reduced the risk of flu-associated hospitalization among older adults by about 40 percent on average. A study showed that from to , flu vaccination among adults reduced the risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit ICU with flu by 82 percent. Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with certain chronic health conditions. Flu vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events external icon among people with heart disease, especially among those who have had a cardiac event in the past year.

Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of a flu-related worsening of chronic lung disease for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD external icon requiring hospitalization.