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The 2024–25 flu season was one of the hardest the U.S. has experienced in recent years. An estimated 43–73 million people became ill, leading to 560,000–1.1 million hospitalizations and 38,000–99,000 deaths. Adults age 65 and older made up 57% of all flu-related hospitalizations, and 279 children died from influenza, the highest number reported during a seasonal flu outbreak. An annual flu vaccine remains the best way to lower your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death while helping protect those around you. 

The flu vaccination is recommended for: 

  • Everyone ages 6 months and older, every year 
  • Adults age 65 and older, with a high-dose flu vaccine recommended 
  • People who are pregnant or postpartum 
  • People with weakened immune systems 
  • Healthcare workers 

 

The flu shot can protect you, your family, neighbors, and community, and decrease severity of symptoms and lower hospitalization risk. This is especially true if you have chronic lung disease, such as COPD. Nine out of ten people hospitalized for flu during the last few flu seasons had at least one underlying health condition.

The symptoms of flu include:

  • Fever
  • Cough/Sore throat
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue

Getting the flu can leave you more vulnerable to other respiratory diseases and those who are already at risk could face more severe cases.

 

How does the flu shot work?

The flu vaccine introduces an inactivated or weak version of the virus to your body, which causes your immune system to produce protection against it. You may sometimes have mild symptoms after receiving the flu vaccine; this is your body developing its response to the inactivated or weakened virus. When you are actually exposed to the virus, your body can fight it off or reduce its impact so you only experience mild symptoms. Everyone over six months old should get the flu shot annually.

 

When should you get the flu shot?

Most drugstores in the U.S. now have the flu vaccine in stock. However, experts suggest waiting until September or October so the vaccine protection lasts the whole flu season. This is especially important for adults over 65 and those with compromised immune systems. There is a special flu vaccine for adults 65 years and older with a higher dosage that protects against four strains of the flu.