Vaccines

A Change Is Coming to Flu Vaccines: Moving From Quadrivalent to Trivalent

Current flu vaccines are quadrivalent, designed to protect against 4 viruses…but this will soon change.
Learn what’s changing and why
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Latest Articles

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Vaccines

Is It Too Late to Get a Flu Shot?

If you haven’t gotten a flu shot earlier in the flu season, is it worth bothering to get one at all?
Jan 2, 2024
Learn about getting a flu shot in late flu season
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Vaccines

The Role of Vaccines in Flu Prevention and Protection

Vaccination has long been used in flu prevention, but do you know the true value it can bring in protecting public health?
Dec 14, 2023
Learn how vaccines help protect us from flu
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Vaccines

Updated Flu Vaccine Recommendations for 2023-2024 Flu Season

Flu vaccination recommendations are updated each year. See what's new for the 2023-2024 flu season.
Sep 13, 2023
Read about this year's flu season vaccination recommendations

Flu Vaccine Technology

Masked female receiving a flu shot in the arm

Vaccines

Overview of Flu Vaccine Types

There are a range of choices among the vaccines available today.

Recent Articles

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Vaccines

NFID Survey Results Suggests Lower Flu Vaccination Rates This Season

Data from this NFID annual survey shows who’s planning to get a flu shot this year.
Learn why flu vaccination rates matter
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Flu Season

When Should I Get a Flu Shot?

Are you up-to-date on your flu shot in 2023?
Find out why you should get a flu shot each season
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Flu Season

Flu Shot Timing for the Flu Season Months

Usually flu season runs between the months of October and April, but that isn’t always the case. So when is the best time for flu shots?
Learn about optimal flu shot timing
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Vaccines

How Vaccine Hesitancy Affects Vaccination Rates and Public Health

The numbers of people getting annual flu vaccines have remained low, putting public health at risk. The rise in vaccine hesitancy is one reason why.
Read how and why vaccine hesitancy has grown over the years
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Flu

Influenza and Flu Vaccine Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction

Misconceptions about the flu and flu vaccine myths keep people from understanding how to protect themselves from the flu.
Learn what's actually true about influenza and flu shots
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Vaccines

What Kind of Flu Vaccine Is Right for You?

Depending on your age, certain vaccines may be preferentially recommended by the CDC.
Learn how recommendations on flu vaccination are different for some people

Flu Vaccine FAQ

View all questions and answers
01

Influenza can cause mild to severe illness. A mild case of the flu may cause you to feel ill and miss work, but more serious complications can happen, too. Of the millions of people who get the flu each year, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized due to flu-related causes, and tens of thousands die from them.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), annual influenza vaccines are the best protection against the flu. Flu vaccines can reduce the risk of getting sick from the flu and having to be hospitalized for it. You might still get influenza after you’ve been vaccinated, but vaccines can reduce the severity of sickness you might feel if you do catch the flu.

02

Influenza viruses are continually changing, so flu vaccines need to be updated to protect against the viruses that are considered to be most likely to circulate during each new flu season. Also, the immunity you get from a flu vaccine will lessen over time, so getting a new vaccine for the upcoming flu season will help increase your immunity.
03

The CDC recommends that adults aged 65 and older receive an adjuvanted or a higher dose flu vaccine. If these two vaccine types are not available, adults of this age group can receive a standard-dose flu vaccine. For other people outside this age group, the CDC does not recommend any particular flu vaccine over another, with rare exception.

If you are trying to decide which vaccine might be best for you, make sure you talk to your doctor or another healthcare professional.

View all questions and answers