When Dr. Jeb Teichman’s phone rang close to midnight, he assumed it was another late-night call from a worried parent. Instead, it was about his own son. His 29-year-old, Brent, had been recovering from the flu when his symptoms suddenly worsened. Hours after returning home from urgent care, Brent collapsed. Despite emergency efforts, he could not be revived.
Six years later, Dr. Teichman still recalls the beeping of the monitors as paramedics tried to save his son. “When I close my eyes at night, I still hear that sound,” he said. Brent’s only known risk factor: he had not received a flu shot.
Today, the retired pediatrician channels his grief into advocacy, serving on the board of Families Fighting Flu, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing similar tragedies. As misinformation spreads online, Teichman and other experts are emphasizing a simple truth — the flu can kill, and vaccination saves lives.
Tracking the Flu: A Fast-Moving Season
Wastewater analysis offers an early glimpse of flu activity. According to Dr. Alexandria Boehm, program director of WastewaterSCAN and professor at Stanford University, U.S. flu levels remain low for now. But once the season begins, “it spreads rapidly across the country,” she said.
Last year’s influenza wave surged in mid-December and persisted until April, mirroring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) observation that flu activity typically peaks around February but can last through May.
Timing Your Flu Shot for Maximum Protection
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccinating children as soon as shots are available in late summer or early fall. Most kids need just one dose per year, but children under 8 getting vaccinated for the first time require two doses, spaced four weeks apart.
Adults should aim for vaccination by late October, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Getting it too early may mean your immunity wanes before the season ends,” he noted.
Immunity typically develops about two weeks after vaccination. If you feel flu-like symptoms shortly after getting a shot, chances are the infection was already incubating — or caused by another virus entirely.
Flu Shots Are Safe — and Lifesaving
Over the past half-century, hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received flu vaccines. The most common side effect is mild arm soreness.
Concerns about Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare immune disorder, persist but are largely unfounded. According to the CDC, today’s flu vaccines cause one to two additional GBS cases per million doses — a far lower risk than developing GBS after a flu infection itself.
The benefits far outweigh the risks. During the 2023–24 flu season, vaccination prevented an estimated 9.8 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,900 deaths, CDC data show. Yet only 32% of those hospitalized for flu had been vaccinated.
Even when vaccinated individuals do contract the flu, their illnesses tend to be milder and shorter, and they are less likely to spread the virus to others.
Understanding What’s in the Flu Shot
Despite rampant online myths, flu shots do not contain fetal tissue, blood products, gluten, soy, or microchips. Typical ingredients include:
Antigens: pieces of the flu virus that trigger immunity
Adjuvants: compounds that strengthen immune response
Stabilizers and preservatives: substances ensuring vaccine safety and longevity
A preservative called thimerosal—once used in multi-dose vials—has been removed from nearly all modern flu vaccines. Most flu shots today are thimerosal-free and safe for people with egg allergies.
Who Should Get the Flu Shot? Everyone Over Six Months
The CDC recommends annual vaccination for anyone aged six months or older. Pregnant women benefit doubly — protecting themselves and their infants for several months after birth.
Even healthy young adults and children can die from influenza. In the 2023–24 season, 281 children died — the highest pediatric toll in 15 years — and 89% of those children were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.
Addressing Vaccine Fatigue and Misinformation
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination rates have dropped sharply. Adult coverage fell from 60% in 2020 to 54% in 2024, while rates among children plunged from 64% to 49%. Experts attribute the decline to “vaccine fatigue” and complacency.
But the numbers tell a sobering story: the 2024 flu season was among the most severe in over a decade, with 610,000 hospitalizations and 27,000 deaths.
Access and Cost: Vaccination Is Widely Available
Thanks to federal programs and insurance mandates, most Americans can get vaccinated for free. Children qualify through the Vaccines for Children program, while adults can access no-cost shots via Medicare, Medicaid, or community health centers. Uninsured patients typically pay between $20 and $130 out of pocket.
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