DO Assess Your Risks for Complications.
The CDC recommends annual seasonal flu vaccines for everyone 6 months of age and older, but this vaccine is especially important for those people who are at a higher risk of developing complications from the flu, which can be potentially fatal. Among those people for whom the flu vaccine is especially important:
● Pregnant women
● Seniors (people aged 65 and older)
● Young children (children between age 6 months and 8 years may need two doses of the flu vaccine to be fully protected -- often administered about a month apart, so be sure not to miss your follow-up appointment!)
● People who suffer from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
● People who have cancer or are undergoing cancer treatment
● People with cystic fibrosis
● People with HIV/AIDS or a compromised immune system
● People with kidney or liver disease
● People who are obese
● Members of a household where there is someone with a chronic health condition, compromised immune system or a young infant who is too young to be vaccinated
DON’T assume that because you’re otherwise healthy, the flu won’t strike you hard.
While complications are more common in people who fall into the high-risk categories outlined above, that doesn’t mean that they can’t strike someone who is otherwise healthy and “should have” been able to fight off a case of the flu at home, in bed, watching daytime television.