Podcasts

The following podcasts contain information, guidance and recommendations from CDC experts on important aspects of flu prevention and the flu season. Listen or download below.

2020-2021 Flu Season
public health review

Preparing for Fall: Back to School and 2020-2021 Influenza Season

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC disscusses the importance of everyone 6 months and older getting vaccinated against flu to reduce the overall burden of respiratory illness, protect vulnerable populations, and decrease burden on the healthcare system this season. Flu vaccination is escpecially important for the 2020-2021 flu season, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system and conserve scarce medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19.

Flu vaccine for children

The Importance of Flu Vaccine for Children​

​This podcast highlights the importance of all children – including those with special health care needs – receiving flu vaccinations. Children 5 years old and younger, especially those who are younger than 2, are at high risk of developing serious complications if they become sick with flu. Some of these complications include pneumonia, dehydration, worsening of medical problems such as heart disease, asthma, sinus problems, or ear infections. 

This podcast belongs to the CDC Featured Podcasts series.  ​

Read Transcript​​​

Vaccination
Get your flu vaccine

Get Your Flu Vaccine [4 MB, 4 min 16 sec]
Flu season is here and it’s time for most of us to get vaccinated. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people in the US get influenza and several thousand die from the disease. In this podcast, Dr. Erin Kennedy discusses the importance of getting an annual flu vaccine.