Flu Shot
What does the flu shot do?
The flu shot reduces your chances of contracting the flu.
How many doses will I need?
A single shot annually in your arm muscle (or a leg for children) is the recommended flu shot dose. Children between three and eight years of age who have never been vaccinated should receive two doses that are at least one month apart.
Who is it recommended for?
Everyone six months of age or older.
When is the best time to get the flu shot?
October or November is the best and most effective time to get the flu shot. You can still get the vaccine at a later date, but the earlier you are vaccinated, the more beneficial it is in preventing the flu. It’s important to remember that you should always get vaccinations four to six weeks before you travel to give the vaccination time to start working in the body and protect you while you’re abroad.
How does the flu shot work?
The influenza vaccine works by causing antibodies to develop in your body. These antibodies protect against infection from the flu virus. This antibody reaction may cause fatigue and muscle aches in some people. Each year, the flu vaccine contains several different kinds of the virus. The strains chosen are the ones that researchers say are most likely to show up that year. If the choice is right, the vaccine is usually about 50–70% effective in preventing the flu in healthy people under 65 years of age. We offer a range of the most effective flu vaccines available today for people of all ages including standard shots for children, FluBlok® for those between the ages of 18 and 49, as well as Flucelvax® for those under 18. Both of the flu vaccines available at ID Care contain four different strains of the flu, and FluBlok is a high dose flu shot that offers additional efficacy over the lower dose vaccines.