One shot now could keep you healthy months later. Flu season may seem to be a long time away, but doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say now is the time to protect yourself. It takes a while for a flu vaccination to become effective, and you want your protection to be in full force when flu season gets going.
Research shows that flu shots can really pay off.
Researchers reporting in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine looked at employees of a major corporation. Those who had flu shots missed less work than employees who did not get the shots. A bad case of the flu can keep you in bed for several days. But missed work isn't the biggest problem related to the flu. The disease causes nearly 20,000 deaths a year.