Early Start to Flu Season Prompts Renewed Calls to Get a Flu Shot

This year's flu season appears to be arriving earlier than usual, prompting health officials to encourage people to get their flu shots sooner rather than later.

An earlier-than-usual start

Flu season in the United States typically begins to pick up in October or November, giving people a general window in which to plan for vaccination. This year, however, indicators suggest that flu activity started increasing already in September, ahead of the usual timeline.

An earlier start to flu season can shorten the window in which people have to get vaccinated before activity rises significantly, making the timing of a flu shot more pressing than in years when the season follows its typical pattern.

Why timing matters

Flu vaccines generally take a couple of weeks to provide full protection after being administered, which is part of why health officials recommend getting a shot before flu activity peaks in a given community. With signs pointing to an earlier pickup in cases this year, officials are using the moment to remind people that waiting until deep into the fall or winter to get vaccinated may mean missing some of the protection a shot would otherwise provide earlier in the season.

As with past flu seasons, the exact severity and timing of this year's peak remain uncertain, but the early signs of rising activity are being treated as a reason to not delay vaccination plans.