I am happy to say I have gotten my flu shot, but there are many strains of flu that hopefully, it will help. Have you gotten your flu shot yet?

Given that 80,000 Americans died due to the flu last winter, local and state health experts strongly urge vaccination and prevention for the upcoming flu season. The Berkshire Eagle reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently called the flu death rate for 2017-18 the highest in 40 years.

According to the CDC 180 young children and teenagers were among the 80,000, also the highest in more than a decade. Health officials, however, can't pinpoint any single reason for the spike in flu deaths. In Massachusetts, 250 to 1,100 people die each year from the flu, according to the state Department of Public Health.

What flu vaccines are recommended this season?
For the 2018-2019 flu season, providers may choose to administer any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine (IIV, RIV4, or LAIV4).

The CDC site has these options for this season:

Standard dose flu shots. These are given into the muscle. They are usually given with a needle, but two (Afluria and Afluria Quadrivalent) can be given to some people (those aged 18 through 64 years) with a jet injector.
High-dose shots for older people.
Shots made with adjuvant for older people.
Shots made with virus grown in cell culture.
Shots made using a vaccine production technology (recombinant vaccine) that does not require the use of flu virus.
Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) – or the nasal spray vaccine – is also an option for use during the 2018-2019 season for persons whom it is otherwise appropriate.

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