Creating challenges for families and travellers, vacations usually coincide with flu season. The United States, among other countries, has witnessed a spike in flu cases recently. Over 71,000 cases were reported in a single week for the week of December 15. The rising number of flu cases across the world has once again pointed out an important question: When is the right time to take a flu vaccine?
As per the CDC, September and October are generally ideal times to receive the flu shot. Alternate timeframes exist for certain groups, including pregnant women; generally, they are advised to take flu shots during the third trimester of pregnancy in July and August. In India too, the peak flu season is nearing.
When is the 'ideal' time to take flu shots in India?
Flu cases are generally seen during winter and post-monsoon in India. The winter peak is in January-March, while the post-monsoon peak is in August-October and July-September, depending on the states.
Therefore, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the ideal time is to take before the peak season. The vaccine offers protection for a year, and the efficacy is between 60 and 70 per cent.
"We generally advice patients to take the vaccines in April as the WHO launches new vaccine batches every year, and the best benefit is when there is a maximum circulation of the flu virus," said an infectious disease expert.
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According to experts, getting the vaccine late is better than not getting it at all. With flu season peaking between December and March, many health care providers administer flu vaccines through April-May.
However, people who have received the seasonal flu vaccine still face the risk of getting sick, but the illness is less severe when the shot is taken beforehand.