Flu Shots - It's Not Too Late

Dear Linda:

I’ve tried to convince my mother to get a flu shot. She’s resisted—says she’s as healthy as a horse. Please extol the virtues of getting vaccinated. She’s one of your most avid readers.

A Caring Daughter


Dear Mother of Caring Daughter:


Thanks for the column loyalty. Allow me to repay it with some important advice. Getting a flu shot may be one of the most important ways to stay as “healthy as a horse”.

Influenza is not a cold. It’s a serious disease that hospitalizes nearly one-half million Americans each year and kills 40,000. If combined with pneumonia, flu is the nation’s seventh leading cause of death.

A contagious respiratory illness (most often spread by coughing and sneezing), the symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can also occur. And all of this can be prevented with a vaccination.

Annual influenza vaccination has additional benefits too. Chronic cases of congestive heart failure, asthma and diabetes do not worsen, and sinus and ear infections, and bacterial pneumonia can be avoided.

The flu season can start as early as October and last through May. Though the optimal time to get the vaccination is October or November, getting it even as late as January can still be beneficial. Those who need the vaccine most are: people over 50, anyone with a chronic heart or lung condition (including asthma), or who needed regular medical care or were in a hospital during the prior year because of a metabolic disease (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or weakened immune system. Those who live and work in schools, clinics and any long-term care facility should also be vaccinated.

Though Medicare Part B and Medicaid pay for the shots, they are often free for seniors. Call your physician to be sure you are a good candidate and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) at 888-INFO-FDA for more guidance.