While flu spreads every year, the timing, severity, and length of the season varies from one season to another. The HealthMap Vaccine Finderexternal icon helps you to locate where you can get a flu vaccine. If you live with or care for an infant younger than 6 months old, you should get a flu vaccine to help protect them from flu. Usually they include the sudden appearance of: Some people (especially children) may also have: As a parent, you know your child best. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, Yes, the flu is contagious. CDC also is working with the state public health departments and the World Health Organization to collect additional information on antiviral resistance in the United States and worldwide. While the use of cell-grown reference viruses and cell-based technology may offer the potential for better protection over traditional, egg-based flu vaccines because they result in vaccine viruses that are more similar to flu viruses in circulation, there are no data yet to support this. Flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses (depending on vaccine) that research suggests will be most common. Children in this age group who are getting vaccinated for the first time will need two doses of flu vaccine, spaced at least 4 weeks apart. It’s important to get a flu vaccine every season, even if you got vaccinated the season before and the viruses in the flu vaccine have not changed for the current season. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. As data allow, CDC will begin reporting cumulative, in-season estimates of the influenza mortality burden. Treating high risk people or people who are very sick with flu with antiviral drugs is very important. All LAIV will be quadrivalent (four-component). Children who have only received one dose in their lifetime also need two doses. Influenza Surveillance Report. Studies show that prompt treatment with antiviral drugs can prevent serious flu complications. If you start to develop any of the symptoms below, follow the same precautions taken for COVID-19. The flu is usually diagnosed by your health care provider based on: In some cases your health care provider may prescribe medication, especially if you are: Over-the-counter cough and flu medicine should not be given to children younger than 6 years old. Antiviral drugs are effective across all age and risk groups. If you need immediate medical attention, call 911 and tell them your symptoms. The recommendations for people with egg allergies are the same as last season. Some of the challenges in counting flu associated deaths include the following: CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. When these indicators rise and remain elevated for a number of consecutive weeks, “flu season” is said to have begun. (No trivalent recombinant vaccine will be available this season.). Based on the intensity thresholds, CDC researchers classified seasonal severity from 2003-2004 through the 2017-2018 flu seasons. This system provides an overall indication of whether flu-associated deaths are elevated, but does not provide an exact number of how many people died from flu. Subscriber Unfortunately, some people can become infected with a flu virus a flu vaccine is designed to protect against, despite getting vaccinated. This results in inflammation that can trigger respiratory symptoms such as cough and sore throat. For more information: How CDC Estimates Burden. CDC conducts surveillance for flu-related hospitalizations through the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET), a collaboration between CDC, the Emerging Infections Program, and additional Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Project (IHSP) states in 13 geographically distributed areas in the United States. They may run a blood test to verify that you have the flu and not something else. There are many vaccine options to choose from; the most important thing is for all people 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year. FLUAD™ pdf icon [155 KB, 13 pages] external icon was licensed in November 2015 and will be available during the 2018-2019 flu season. Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart. Flu vaccine supply updates will be provided as they become available at Seasonal Influenza Vaccine & Total Doses Distributed. For this vaccine, the influenza A(H3N2) and both influenza B reference viruses will be cell-derived, and the influenza A(H1N1) will be egg-derived. More information about Flu Vaccination by Jet Injector is available. CDC will continue to collect and monitor flu viruses for changes through an established network of domestic and global surveillance systems. Cell-grown reference viruses do not have the changes that are present in egg-grown reference viruses, so they should be more similar to circulating “wild-type” viruses. If you do get sick, stay home to help prevent the spread of the flu or potentially COVID-19. Older people and others with weakened immune systems may not generate the same amount of antibodies after vaccination; further, their antibody levels may drop more quickly when compared to young, healthy people. These drugs can make you better faster and may also prevent serious complications. When infected persons cough, sneeze, or talk, they can spread influenza viruses in respiratory droplets to people who are nearby. More information about previous vaccine effectiveness, is available. That way, they can arrange to see you without exposing other people. No matter how long children have been sick, warning signs include: People at high risk for complications include adults over age 65, pregnant women, young children, and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or asthma. Estimates of deaths in children since 2010 have ranged from 37 (2011-2012) to about 1,200 (2012-2013).