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Everyone over six-months old is encouraged to get an annual influenza vaccine by the end of October according to the Centers for Disease Control. It takes about two weeks after you get your flu shot for your body to build up the antibodies to protect against influenza.

Washington County Public Health Nurse Erin James says the vaccine helps reduce the risk of flu, “It’s never 100% effective, we understand that. It is the frontline defense, though. Even if you do get influenza, it will lower your symptoms, it will decrease the time that you’re sick. So, I mean, that’s always the first line of defense against influenza and that hasn’t changed. And especially with COVID, we don’t want to tax our healthcare system.”

She encourages people who are able to, to get the flu vaccine each year, “I would strongly encourage anybody that’s able to, that’s old enough to, to get your flu vaccine because again the flu vaccine is not just for you, it’s for all of the little babies and all of the immune-compromised people who are unable to actually get vaccinated.”

Last influenza season, Iowa had 103 influenza-related deaths including two children.