This who should receive a flu shot post is made possible by the American Lung Association, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Who Should Receive a Flu Shot
The American Lung Association has launched the MyShot campaign, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur, to help educate adults 50 years of age and older about the potential dangers of the flu, flu related complications and the importance of getting an annual flu shot.
If you or someone you love is 50 years of age and older, go to GetMyShot.org to learn more and speak with your healthcare provider about flu vaccine options that may be right for you.
So who should get the flu shot?
(Super) Short answer: everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exception, according to the CDC.
Long answer:
We hear a whole lot – or at least, I do- about the importance of having a flu shot when you are pregnant, a parent or caregiver of young children or older adults. Especially for those who are caring for children under 6 months of age or adults over the age of 50, who aren’t able to get the vaccination themselves, or adults over the age of 50.
But there are other groups who are equally at risk of serious complications from the flu, which is what we’ve been focusing on over the last several months. (See our post about whether it’s too late for the flu shot). The adults 65 years of age and older are definitely at risk, but a group that’s maybe lesser known to be at risk is the 50+ crowd. I may not quite be there yet, but I’m very aware that that’s the age where older adult parents tend to start needing more significant care, parents start to become grandparents, and quite honestly…when our bodies realize they may not be so young anymore and may not be able to fight off illness as well as they used to be. Chronic illness may also make a first time appearance and the flu can exacerbate or worsen those symptoms for anyone.
Why
The flu can worsen symptoms of chronic health conditions, such as lung or heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Multiple studies have shown an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the first few days following a flu infection. That means the flu can be deadly for anyone, including adults 50 years of age and older who more often have one or more chronic health conditions. Now is the time to do everything you can to help protect yourself. Your health care provider can tell you all about the importance of getting a flu shot, and so will these people, who’ve learned what’s at stake when it comes to the flu.
Adults 50 years of age and older are more likely to have one or more chronic health conditions, such as lung or heart disease, diabetes and cancer. When combined with the flu, these chronic health conditions can become worse and cause serious illness.
Vaccination is the best way to help protect against the flu. The flu is a potentially serious illness that can cause serious complications, hospitalizations and even death. Health officials recommend adults everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exception get vaccinated against the flu each year. This is particularly important for adults 50 years of age and older.
The best answer I can come up with to the who should receive a flu shot question is that everyone who is eligible for a flu shot should get one, so that we can help to minimize risk to those whose immune systems are compromised for whatever reason.
SAUS.IFLU.19.08.4305 10/19