The flu vaccine is a shot or nasal spray that is administered by health professionals to help prevent people from contracting influenza. Influenza, which is also known as "the flu", is a respiratory illness that can become serious in cases where the infected person has a compromised immune system, including children, the elderly, and people with other illnesses. Each year, approximately 36,000 Americans die from influenza, prompting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to urge Americans to get vaccinated each year.http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1864920,00.html

Because the flu season generally extends from October to February or later, the vaccine is offered from September through November in the United States. Each year the flu vaccine contains three different strains of influenza based on what experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) anticipate will be active each year.http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1864920,00.html Each flu shot contains killed virus that is injected usually into the arm, and is available to most people age 6 months and older. The nasal spray (FluMist), on the other hand, contains weakened flu virus, and is only recommended for healthy people age 2 to 49.http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

The CDC recommends that every person over the age of 6 months receive a flu shot. This is especially true for people in high-risk groups, including: pregnant women, children under the age of 2, people over the age of 50, and anyone who has certain chronic medical conditions, and health care workers.http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

The CDC also recommends that the following people not get the flu vaccine without permission from their doctors: Anyone with an allergy to chicken eggs, children under age 6, anyone who has a moderate to severe illness with a fever, or people who have had bad reactions to influenza vaccines in the past.http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact a doctor before using the information presented here.