We are well into September and that means it won't be too much longer until we will be smelling the awful stench of burning dust and other things through out our homes when we turn on the heater. That also means that cold and flu season won't be too far behind either.

It's the flu that most of us have a concern with. It's not fun to go through and with today's modern medicine many times it can be prevented by getting a flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control says that this year's flu shot should do a better job of protecting those who get the shot from the flu.

Michael Jhung with the CDC explained to the Louisiana Radio Network why health care professionals are optimistic about this year's vaccine.

This year our early results on what viruses are circulating right now and what we think will circulate for the rest of the season seem to match up well to what’s in the vaccine.

The CDC recommends flu shots for children under fiver years of age and for anyone who is age 65 of older. They actually suggest that everyone get a flu shot but those age groups in particular are vulnerable to the disease.  Jhung says the earlier you get vaccinated, the better your chances of avoiding the flu this season.

If you wait too long and you say ‘I see people around me at school or at work are getting the flu, I’m going to go ahead and get vaccinated.’ You’re not going to be fully protected and you may get the flu even though you got vaccinated yesterday.

On average it takes about two weeks for the vaccination to fully protect you from the flu. So, the more time you can give it to work, the better your chances are of a sniffle free flu season.

 

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