The Centers for Disease Control and Delaware’s Department of Public Health are urging everyone to get their flu shot before the virus arrives.
The CDC is worried about declining vaccination rates. It found that only 45 percent of the U.S. population got a flu shot last year. And that was down 1.5 percentage points from the previous year.
The problem with low vaccination rates is that children less than six months old and some people who are immunocompromised can’t get vaccinated, according to Martin Luta, Chief of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases for Delaware.
These groups rely on everyone else being vaccinated, also known as herd immunity.
Luta said the growing anti-vaccination trend is most likely not to blame. He's been following the trend for years and says rates tend to rise and fall pretty regularly.
“One of the things that works against us is what I call a series of mild seasons in a row. People forget the importance of getting a flu shot and the rates tend to decline a bit.”
The problem with that, though, is that you never know dangerous the virus will be each year. In 2009, for example, H1N1 killed more than 12,000 people in the United States.
The lowest vaccination rates are among people between the ages of 18 and 64.
“They’re busy and they’re working. Most of them are healthy and they’re young so they don’t see the need for it,” Luta said.
But when everyone starts getting sick around you, it's usually too late to get your flu shot.
Luta said it’s better for everyone to make a habit of getting the flu shot around this time every year. The vaccine has been shown to last at least six months. And that will get you through the peak of flu season, which is historically January and February.
The state is beginning a series of free flu clinics in all three counties this week. You can find a link with times and locations HERE.
