By Everything Lifestyle Staff

Avoid getting sick

The Best Way to Protect Yourself From the Flu

Oct 18, 2024 | 6:42 AM

As flu season ramps up, here’s an easy way to stay healthier.

If you’re starting to notice more and more people sniffling and sneezing around you, it’s no surprise. We’re moving into the peak months of flu season, and that often means it’s hard to keep yourself free from illness because so many people around you are sick. So what are you to do, short of locking yourself away from the world for the next few months, to protect yourself from getting the flu?

Some of the most effective ways to protect yourself from the flu are also the most obvious. Do your best to stay away from people who are noticeably sick and wash your hands often. That’s good practice, no matter what kinds of illness may be circulating at any given time. But there’s one step you can take that you don’t need to think about daily, and it may be the best way to stay healthier during flu season.

Get a flu shot.

You may think you don’t need a flu shot this year because you got one last year. Or because you don’t normally get the flu even when it’s spreading. Or even if you do get the flu, you don’t typically get very sick. But just because you may not have gotten sick in the past, it doesn’t mean you won’t feel miserable if you get the flu this year. And the protection you had from last year’s shot will no longer stop you from succumbing to this year’s viruses.

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An annual flu shot is your best protection against the flu. Each year, health experts develop a vaccine to protect against what are expected to be the most common strains circulating. It takes about two weeks after you get vaccinated for your immune system to reach peak protection and that protection should last throughout all or most of the flu season.

Does that mean you absolutely won’t get the flu if you get a shot? No, unfortunately, some people still get the flu even if they are vaccinated. But getting a flu shot makes it far less likely that you will get the flu. And if you wind up getting sick, symptoms are usually far milder if you have been vaccinated.

Although 100% protection is not guaranteed, there are very few downsides to getting a flu shot. Most people experience only mild side effects, if any, such as minor soreness or redness at the injection site. Occasionally, you may feel minor flu-like symptoms after vaccination, including headache, muscle aches and fatigue. But even if you experience side effects, they’re usually not very bothersome and go away quickly.

Health experts recommend that everyone over 6 months of age get an annual flu shot, with few exceptions. The ideal time to get vaccinated is before flu season begins, which is usually around October in most parts of the country. But since flu season typically doesn’t peak until December through February, now is the ideal time to get a shot if you haven’t done so already. It is the best possible way to get through this year flu-free.

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_{Medical Review: Perry Pitkow, MD}