Winter has come to the Northern Hemisphere, and with it the usual slew of viral illnesses. Amid the inevitable chaos of the race to the year’s end, preparing for holiday festivities, juggling the kids’ school play and the office party, it can be easy to forget about your flu shot. If you’re only just now remembering that appointment you meant to schedule back in October, you might be wondering: is it too late? Or is there still time to build your defenses?
The ideal time to get your flu shot is before the peak of the season hits, when there’s not so much virus circulating in the community. It takes a couple of weeks after getting your flu shot for your immune system to produce adequate levels of specific antibodies to protect you, so it’s best to give it as much time as possible before you’re likely to come into contact with the virus.
In the UK, for example, the government recommends that those who are eligible for a flu vaccine from the country’s National Health Service schedule theirs in the autumn or early winter. That includes everyone over the age of 65, young children, healthcare workers, and some people with long-term medical conditions.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives similar advice, recommending that the best time to get vaccinated is in September or October. Everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get their shot – if you’re concerned about allergies or other health conditions that might have an impact, you should speak to a healthcare provider.
That’s not to say, however, that it isn’t worth still getting your shot after these dates.
The UK seasonal vaccination program for 2024/25 is scheduled to continue all the way until the end of March, so if you’ve been invited for a vaccine and you’ve been putting it off, it’s not too late. In the US, flu shots are widely available in doctors’ offices, pharmacies, and other settings.
Eligibility and access may vary in other regions, so it’s always best to check with health authorities where you are – but the vaccine advice for anyone currently in the Northern Hemisphere, where flu season is ramping up, is likely to be “better late than never”.
Seasonal flu is responsible for 3-5 million severe cases of illness annually and causes up to 650,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. It is not simply a bad cold, though it can be difficult to tell apart from other respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. Influenza viruses have the potential to cause serious complications like pneumonia and sepsis, can worsen existing chronic illnesses, and may leave people with long-term complications and post-viral conditions.
Symptoms of flu include a sudden onset fever, dry cough, headache, joint pain, and a runny nose. The disease spreads easily, especially in crowded, poorly ventilated conditions – like holiday parties, or malls packed with last-minute Christmas shoppers, for instance.
The most recent surveillance report from the CDC at the time of writing, for the week ending November 30, showed an upward trend for positive lab tests for flu, with two influenza A virus strains (H1N1 and H3N2) circulating together. However, we’re not yet at the peak of infections for this season.
If you want to get the maximum impact from your vaccine before gathering with family and friends for Christmas, it would be best to get a shot within the next couple of days.
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
