ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Every year, leading up to the months of October through May, people are reminded to get their flu vaccination for the upcoming flu season.
But does getting your annual flu shot really help you in the long run?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu vaccine "reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40 and 60 percent among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well matched to those used to make flu vaccines."
There are two factors that play an important role in determining the likelihood of the shot protecting a person from the flu, the CDC explains. Those are:
- Characteristics of the person being vaccinated, such as their age and health.
- How well the vaccines "match" the flu viruses spreading in the community.
When the flu vaccines don't match to one or more "circulating influenza viruses," it is possible the shot will provide little to no protection to any sickness caused by those viruses, but still "provide protection against other flu viruses that circulate during the season."
On the other hand, a good match between flu vaccines and circulating viruses allows the shots to provide "substantial benefits by preventing flu illness and complications."
So what are the benefits of the flu vaccination?
The CDC explains there are many reasons why people should get the flu shot every year because it is "the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against flu and its potentially serious complications."
According to the CDC, some of the benefits of the shot include:
- The flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with the flu.
- The flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce the severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
- The flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization.
- Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with certain chronic health conditions.
- Flu vaccination helps protect pregnant people during and after pregnancy.
- Flu vaccines can be lifesaving in children.
- Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you.
Live Science also reports the average effectiveness at preventing laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza between the 2009-2010 season and 2019-2020 season was around 43 percent. This means "people who got the flu vaccine over those years were on average 43 percent less likely to get sick enough with the flu to go to their doctor and get tested."
Even with the flu shot not being the most effective vaccine, it still provides some protection against infection, especially in healthy people, Live Science explains. The vaccine also helps protect from the worst-case scenario — hospitalization or death.
"Only about half of Americans get an annual flu vaccine," a spokesperson for the CDC, Katherina Grusich, said to Live Science. "Many more people could be protected from flu if more people got vaccinated."