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If you google "How long does the flu shot last" you will be told it lasts 6 months. Yet someone from the CDC says you are protected even if you get the shot early. If I got the flu shot in Aug or Sept, per the 6 month rule, I would not be protected during the peak months.

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This isn't my first rodeo....air travel is notoriously bad. My vaccinated hubby will be my "physical barrier" and I will wear a mask and carry anti bacterical handwash.

NOT touching our eye, nose and mouth is always a good idea. Mucous membranes are so thin----

I AM going to get a shot in December, but for the most part, not much I can do this winter.

CVS pharmacy has the 'get your fly vaccines' signs down for about a month. Obviously, if you wanted your flu vaccine in August, you could still get it.
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I just finished chemo for cancer. I asked my doc if I should have a flu shot. He waved his hands over my head, in sort of a 'genie' fashion...and said "There! Now you are as protected as if you'd had the shot".

The CDC is working on flu shot cocktails for 2020 right NOW--it's a total crapshoot--they are guessing at what strains of flu may be hitting NEXT YEAR.

But getting the flu shot is a good idea, and had I an immune system in my body I would be getting one. And I can and might get one in APRIL. Right now I am relying on 'herd safety' to keep me from catching flu. (She said as she packed for a 4 hr flight tomorrow).

The doc didn't deny me the shot, but he said it would be completely useless at this stage of the game. I definitely don't want flu, after what I've been through, but it is what it is. I'll be careful and probably bathe in hand sanitizer.

6 months is the length of time a flu shot lasts. Give or take.
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TNtechie Oct 2019
You might want to consider wearing a face mask during the flight too. In addition to providing some protection from air borne germs, it also reminds us to refrain from touching our nose and mouth with our hands.
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My senior mom was told to get a flu shot early and then get another one later in the season. Not sure if the second shot is covered by her insurance. This year, they gave her a "super" flu shot, so not sure if that means? it's stronger or covers more than 1 type of flu? I never heard of that before, and she did experience a little "down time" the next day due to a mini-illness of fatigue, chills, etc. After a day or 2 she bounced back. She's 90.
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needtowashhair Oct 2019
That "super" shot otherwise known as a high dose is what anyone over 65 should get. As the high does name implies, it's a high dose. Older immune systems may not respond to a normal dose.

That "mini illness" you describe is a good thing. It's a sign that the vaccination worked. Contrary to popular misconception, you can't get the flu from a flu shot. It's a deactivated virus. You can get symptoms that mimic those of a cold or flu. That's your immune system responding to the vaccination. Which is the point of a vaccination. To fool your immune system into producing a response so that when it does encounter the actual virus, it's ready to deal with it.
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I found the following: "Protection declines over time because of waning antibody levels and because of changes in circulating influenza viruses from year to year" So my question was about getting the flu shot too early and that it might not be strong enough when we reach the peak of the flu season. I understand that sometimes they don't get it right when they come up with a vaccination. It's when it is right, I want it to be in my system and working when the flu is at it's peak. There is contradictive information out there.
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The Flu virus mutates over time, which is why there is a new flu shot each year, it is designed to vaccinate folks against what is expected to be the more virulent strain of the flu.

So if there is a good match between the flu vaccine and the prevalent virus, you should be protected. However over time the virus is mutating and may no longer be effected by the vaccine.

Therefore it is not that the vaccine stops working after 6 months, it is that the virus may have mutated over 6 months. It takes many months to create the flu vaccine and if they get it wrong, as has happened in the past, there is no quick fix to get another vaccine on the market.

Remember when H1N1 was around in September 8-10 years ago? It was prior to regular flu season and none of the vaccines in the market protected against it. Both my teens got it and were sick for almost 2 weeks.
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needtowashhair Oct 2019
This. It's not the vaccine wearing out. That's not how it works. It's that the virus mutates. That's why a flu vaccination is only partially effective. It's guess work. Based on what happens in Australia, their winter is our summer, they guess what strains people are getting infected with this year and produce a vaccines based on that.

People should get vaccinated. The earlier the better. We get vaccinated by the first week in September.
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