SPOKANE, Wash. — Peak flu season is near, and health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated now rather than waiting until the new year.
The Spokane Regional Health District is seeing more flu cases this year than in previous years at this time of season, according to health officials. Flu cases typically peak between January and mid-March, making fall the ideal time to get protected.
“It’s the best time to get your vaccination so that it has that two week time period to help your body build the antibodies to fight it if it comes in contact with it. So we always recommend people get their flu shot before Halloween,” said Kayla Myers, immunization program coordinator at Spokane Regional Health District.
Getting the flu shot does not guarantee you won’t contract the flu, but doctors say vaccination significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and severe illness. The vaccine is particularly effective at preventing complications that can develop from the flu.
“It’s more about severe illnesses that cause you to be hospitalized is what we want to avoid. So that can look like turning into pneumonia,” Myers said.
Despite the health district’s recommendations, vaccination rates remain low. Only 8% of people in Spokane County have received their flu shot so far this season. The health department notes that this low uptake is typical this early in the season, but from past years, flu vaccination numbers have seen a slight downward trend.
Anyone 6 months and older is recommended to get vaccinated.
For older adults, health officials recommend a specific vaccine formulation. People 65 and older should consider the Fluzone High Dose vaccine, which provides enhanced protection for this vulnerable population.
“It’s a more robust introduction into the immune system so that their bodies will make a higher immune response, just because we know that they don’t generally respond to an average flu vaccine,” Myers explained.
The Fluzone High-Dose vaccine contains four times the antigen of a standard flu vaccine dose. This higher concentration allows it to trigger a stronger immune response in older adults, whose immune systems may not respond as robustly to standard-dose vaccines.
Health officials emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective tool for preventing flu illness and its complications. While the vaccine is not 100% effective, it reduces the severity of illness in those who do contract the flu and significantly lowers hospitalization rates across all age groups.
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