{"id":78,"date":"2012-09-10T17:58:03","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T17:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/?p=78"},"modified":"2012-09-19T13:26:35","modified_gmt":"2012-09-19T13:26:35","slug":"getting-your-flu-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/getting-your-flu-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Flu Shot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With autumn just around the corner, <em>now\u2019s<\/em> the ideal time to get your flu shot. \u00a0Influenza season can start as early as October, and it takes your body about two weeks to respond to the vaccine by creating the flu-fighting antibodies you need to fight off the virus. That\u2019s why healthcare professionals recommend getting the shot as soon as it becomes available in your community\u2014 usually early September. I\u2019m planning to get my shot when I see my healthcare provider this month.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re 65 or older, it\u2019s particularly important to get vaccinated. Older adults run an increased risk of potentially serious complications of the flu, such as pneumonia. Some people, however, should talk with their healthcare provider before getting a flu shot, especially if you\u2019ve experienced any of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>severe allergic reaction to chicken eggs<\/li>\n<li>have had a serious reaction to the flu shot in the past<\/li>\n<li>have been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And if you have a fever, hold off until it\u2019s gone before getting your shot .<\/p>\n<p>Though some vaccines protect you for years, the flu shot is only effective for one year.\u00a0 Why? The flu virus is constantly changing, so the vaccine that worked against last year\u2019s virus won\u2019t take care of this year\u2019s. Don\u2019t skip a year!<\/p>\n<p>Good news: Medicare covers annual flu shots, and there\u2019s no copay. You can get the flu vaccine from your healthcare professional, or at senior centers, urgent care clinics, and health departments. \u00a0\u00a0Many retail pharmacies also offer the flu shot for a small fee.\u00a0 As of late August, the vaccine was available in many communities throughout the U.S. To find where you can get a shot near you, visit the frequently updated <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flu.gov\/whereyoulive\/index.html\">Flu Vaccine Locator<\/a> on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>And for more information about the flu and other essential immunizations for older people, take a look at these tipsheets: \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/resources\/resource:what-older-adults-and-caregivers-need-to-know-about-surviving-the-flu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Flu Prevention and Treatment Tips<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/resources\/resource:fall-2011-what-you-should-know-about-this-year-s-flu-shot\/\" target=\"_blank\">Essential Vaccination Information for Older Adults<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With autumn just around the corner, now\u2019s the ideal time to get your flu shot. \u00a0Influenza season can start as early as October, and it takes your body about two weeks to respond to the vaccine by creating the flu-fighting &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/getting-your-flu-shot\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[10,12,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions\/85"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}