Here's why experts say now is an ideal time to protect yourself from flu

It’s October and time for flu shots. Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely — and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. Updated COVID-19 shots are available now, plus shots for people especially vulnerable to another winter risk called RSV.

While these infections make many people feel miserable for a few days before they recover, every year flu alone causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. Vaccination isn’t “a guarantee that we’re going to prevent illness. But just like the seat belt in your car, it decreases risk” of the worst outcomes, said Dr.

Ryan Stanton of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Fall vaccine advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its independent advisory panel. But this year that panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle and the CDC hasn’t updated its advice.

Now doctors’ groups are filling the gap: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have posted vaccination guidelines for their patient populations plus the scientific evidence behind them. Here’s what to know: Just about everyone should get vaccinated against flu Just about everybody starting at age 6 months needs flu vaccination, the medical societies agree. But flu is particularly dangerous for people 65 and older, pregnant women, young children and people of any age who have chronic health problems, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease and weak immune systems.

The last two flu seasons brought unusually high numbers of child deaths, the vast majority of them in unvaccinated kids. The vaccines don’t block all flu infections, but they do help prevent the worst outcomes, decreasing older adults’ hospitalizations by 31% last year, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group based at the University of Minnesota. Here’s how to pick from the multiple flu vaccine options Three “enhanced” flu vaccines are designed to better protect seniors.

The American Academy of Family Physicians urges them to choose one — “but do not delay your vaccination if that one’s not available,” said AAFP’s Dr. It’s October and time for flu shots.Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely — and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. and kills tens of thousands.Vaccination isn’t “a guarantee that we’re going to prevent illness.