“The best way to protect yourself from the flu is to get a flu vaccine,” says Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. “It’s really unfortunate that half of Americans are not getting the protection from flu they could get.”
Starting in 2010, the agency has recommended that, unless there is a specific medical reason not to, everyone older than the age of 6 months should get vaccinated. But this begs the question: Which is the best vaccine for me?
Since 2013, there have been more than a dozen different varieties of vaccine available. Options include traditional injections given in the arm to a mist in the nose; there's also a variety that offers protection from three flu strains, and one that protects against four. There is even a vaccine that is produced in a cell culture as opposed to an egg for people with egg allergies.
Let’s break down some of the most popular choices.
Traditional Vaccine Shots
Traditional flu shots, called trivalent vaccines, offer protection from three flu strains -- two influenza A viruses (typically H1N1 and an H3N2) and an influenza B virus.
Standard-dose trivalent shots are manufactured using virus grown in eggs. Different flu shots are approved for people of different ages, but there are flu shots that are approved for use in people as young as 6 months of age and up.