Annual influenza vaccines are encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control for everyone six months and older, with rare exceptions. According to the Weekly U.S. Influenza surveillance report, Iowa’s influenza-like illness level is minimal at this time while the southeastern United States are seeing increases to low- to moderate levels.

Public Health Nurse Shelby Hill with Washington County Public Health says it is still a good time to get an annual flu vaccine, “It’s not too late to get your flu vaccine, and actually we’d still continue to encourage it.You can get your flu vaccine all the way up until March actually. So, now is a great time to be getting that.” Hill adds that it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect.