Important Flu Recommendations for High-Risk Populations

The winter months mean people are more likely to get sick with the cold and influenza viruses going around. Although it is optimal to get the flu vaccine in October, it is never too late to protect yourself and your family.

While it is important to get vaccinated against the flu virus as early as possible, it is never too late to reap the benefits of this vaccine. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the peak months for the spread of the flu virus are January and February and the season can last into mid-May.

Those at highest risk of complications from the flu are young children; people 65 and older; pregnant women; and people with health conditions such as heart, lung, or kidney disease or a weakened immune system.

"Adults age 65 and older face the greatest risk of serious complications and even death as a result of influenza. That is why it is so important that they get immunized. Even when older adults contract the flu after immunization, which can happen, those cases tend to be less severe and of shorter duration," says Mark Lachs, M.D., director of geriatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

"It is important that all children get immunized against this illness," says Gerald Loughlin, M.D., pediatrician-in-chief at the Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Drs. Lachs and Loughlin offer the following guidelines to help protect these most vulnerable populations from catching the flu this winter:

• Get vaccinated early. The flu vaccine is most effective when administered during the fall months, before the onset of flu season.
  
  
• It's never too late. The flu season begins in the fall and can last through the spring, so if you do not get vaccinated in October you can still be immunized in December or January.
  
  
• Know your options. A nasal vaccine is available for healthy children age 2 and older, and for adults up to the age of 49. There are some restrictions so check with your doctor first.
  
  
• Get your family members vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the following groups get immunized against the flu every year:

• Children beginning at 6 months of age