The season of runny noses, coughs and body chills is arriving in New Jersey.
Millions of people get sick and are hospitalized each year because of the flu. Medical experts say that an annual vaccination is the best protection against the flu.
“Our top recommendation to protect yourself and your loved ones from respiratory illness is to get vaccinated,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. “Plan now to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines for yourself and your family this fall, ahead of respiratory virus season.”
The CDC has released its updated vaccine recommendations for the 2024-25 flu season. Here's what New Jerseyans need to know.
More: The five biggest myths about the flu and how one New Jersey nonprofit is trying to address them
Experts say the influenza virus, better known as the flu, spreads annually in the United States, beginning in October and peaking in late winter.
“Usually it spikes in the early to late fall, but sometimes it doesn't spike until late January,” said Dr. Andy Anderson, executive vice president and chief medical and quality officer at RWJBarnabas Health.
People should get themselves vaccinated between now and the end of October so that the vaccine can be effective.
“It's best to start the vaccination process now because it takes a few weeks for your body to fully respond to the vaccine and protect your immune system,” Anderson said.
According to the C.D.C.'s guidelines, everyone age 6 months and older is encouraged to get an annual flu vaccine. That has been the agency's recommendation since 2010, according to its website.
Most people who get sick with the flu recover without any serious complications. However, people who may develop serious complications from the flu include:
- small children
- pregnant women
- people with certain long-term health problems, such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease
- People aged 65 years and older
According to the CDC, during the 2023-2024 flu season, more than 44,900 people are projected to die from flu-related complications.
“There are a lot of people who have weakened immune systems and you wouldn't know anything by looking at them, and you could be putting someone at risk who could literally die,” Anderson said.
Even though the flu may not be a big deal for you personally, it can cause serious complications for your loved ones.
“Another way to think about it is, if you had a grandmother or grandfather, would you go and tell them what you have? Hopefully the answer would be no,” Anderson said.
Some people who get vaccinated for the flu can still get sick.
However, studies have shown that getting the flu vaccine reduces the severity of the illness in people who do get sick.
The report, co-authored by the C.D.C., found that among children and teens ages 6 months to 17 years, vaccine effectiveness ranged from 59% to 67% against flu-related outpatient visits and 52% to 61% against flu-related hospitalizations during the 2023-24 season.
The same report found that flu vaccine effectiveness for adults was 33%–49% in outpatient settings and 41%–44% for flu-related hospitalizations.
Despite the proven efficacy of vaccinations, only about half of Americans get their annual flu shot, according to the C.D.C.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the flu shot is that it causes a person to get the flu.
“You cannot get influenza from the flu vaccine,” said Dr. Jeanine Bulan, associate chief medical officer at Atlantic Medical Group.
“So, you may have some pain at the injection site, and patients say they have some symptoms, but there's no reason you might have the flu,” Bulan said.
Doctors say that side effects of flu vaccination are usually mild and go away on their own within a few days.
Common side effects of the flu shot include pain, redness and/or swelling at the injection site, headache, fever, nausea, muscle aches, and fatigue. The flu shot, like other injections, can sometimes cause fainting.
Life-threatening allergic reactions to the flu vaccine are rare. If you have a severe allergic reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine, call your doctor or go to a doctor right away.
Generally, no. According to the CDC, revaccinating individuals who have received full vaccination for this season — that is, providing a booster dose — is not recommended, regardless of when the current season's vaccine was received.
Only children ages 6 months to 8 years may need two doses during a flu season.
Yes. According to the CDC, it is safe to get the COVID-19 and flu vaccines in the same visit.
Like the flu shot, the updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older to protect against potentially serious consequences of the disease.
The majority of states have “high” or “very high” levels of COVID-19 activity right now, according to wastewater monitoring data collected by the C.D.C.
Wastewater data from samples taken through August 31 showed “high” or “very high” levels of disease activity in 45 states, down slightly from the previous sampling period.
Data continues to show how important vaccination is to prevent serious outcomes from COVID-19 and flu, including hospitalization and death.
According to CDC data, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 2023, and more than 75,500 people died from the highly contagious virus.
COVID-19 cases are expected to continue to rise during the cold weather months, which coincide with flu season. By getting a flu shot and a COVID vaccine, you will reduce your chances of getting seriously ill from these viruses.
People can get their COVID-19 booster, annual flu shot, and RSV vaccine at the same time. However, the RSV vaccine is only recommended for certain people:
- Pregnant women during 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy starting from September 1
- Infants who are entering the RSV season for the first time or are born during the RSV season
- People ages 60 to 74 who have chronic heart or lung disease, certain other long-term medical conditions, and residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
- All people aged 75 years and above
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV is a virus that typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms that can be severe, especially for infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised people. According to the CDC, this virus is a leading cause of childhood illness and hospitalizations in infants.
Flu vaccines are available in many locations during flu season, the fall and winter, including healthcare providers' offices, pharmacies, and grocery stores with pharmacies. Vaccine locations can be found through the New Jersey Department of Health website.
The Communicable Disease Service within the New Jersey Department of Health will begin publishing its weekly influenza illness surveillance report in October, according to the department’s website.
Publicly available reports containing information on influenza are published on Wednesday of each week from October through May.
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Jackie Roman can be reached at [email protected],