What to know
As we enter the fall and winter virus season, we are emphasizing the importance of staying up to date on recommended immunizations, which is a core prevention strategy to help lower risk from respiratory viruses.
Summary
What CDC knows
Each year, respiratory viruses are responsible for millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. Staying up to date with your recommended immunizations can reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. It is especially important for those at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses to stay up to date on recommended immunizations.
What CDC is doing
CDC plays an important role in keeping people healthy by providing guidance on vaccines and making sure routine vaccines are available for everyone. CDC tracks how well vaccines work, and monitors disease spread to keep the public informed. During public health emergencies, CDC helps with quickly developing and distributing vaccines to control outbreaks. Its efforts ensure that everyone has access to vaccines, reducing illness and saving lives while building public trust in immunization.
Recommended immunizations protect people and save lives
During 2023-2024, CDC estimates:
Flu vaccination prevented:
- At least 7 million influenza illnesses
- 3.7 million influenza-associated medical visits
- 105,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations
- 3,500 influenza-associated deaths in the United States
COVID-19 vaccines:
- Reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 by about half.
RSV immunizations:
- Reduced the risk of RSV-associated hospitalization by 75% among adults ages 60 years and older.
- Were 90% effective against RSV-associated hospitalization in infants during their first RSV season.
Immunizations help your body defend itself against viruses
Immunizations help prepare your body to defend itself from viruses and their potentially severe complications by strengthening your defenses.
Most immunizations work by showing your body a harmless form or part of a virus. Your body will then make proteins called antibodies that will fight that virus if it encounters it again. Memory B cells will remember how to produce specific antibodies and T cells that can directly attack infected cells. Other immunizations work by directly providing you with antibodies.
Once your immune system is prepared like this, it can quickly react to a virus before you become unwell. An immunized person is far less likely to die or become seriously ill than someone whose immune system is unprepared to fight an infection.
Even with immunizations, you can still become infected. However, you are less likely to become infected, develop symptoms, become seriously ill or die compared with someone who has not been immunized.
There may be side effects after vaccination
The process of building an immune defense can cause some side effects. That is a normal part of the immune response and the side effects generally go away in a few days. Side effects can vary from person to person.
Common side effects include:
- Pain, swelling, and redness on the arm where the shot was given
- Tiredness, headache, muscle pain
- Chills
- Nausea
- Fever
People sometimes faint after medical procedures, including vaccination. If you feel dizzy, have vision changes, or ringing in your ears, tell your doctor. As with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of vaccination causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death.
Stay up to date on your recommended immunizations
Flu
CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions like having had a severe allergic reaction to flu vaccine in the past, receive an updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. Pregnant people can get the flu vaccine at any time during pregnancy, before and during the flu season. Early vaccination (like during July and August) can be considered for people who are in the third trimester because this can help provide protection to the infant during the first months of life when they are too young to be vaccinated.
COVID-19
CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant people can help protect both themselves and their infants younger than 6 months old, who are too young to be vaccinated, from COVID-19 associated hospitalization by getting their COVID-19 vaccine.
RSV
Some older adults are eligible for RSV immunization. CDC recommends everyone ages 75 and older get an RSV vaccine, as well as adults ages 60 through 74 years who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease. If you have already gotten an RSV vaccine, you do not need to get another one at this time.
CDC recommends all babies be protected from severe RSV by one of two immunization options, vaccination during pregnancy or infant immunization after birth. Most babies do not need both options. RSV vaccination during pregnancy involves giving an RSV vaccine (Pfizer's Abrysvo) to the pregnant person during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy. Maternal antibodies from this vaccine cross the placenta and can protect the baby for approximately 6 months after birth.
RSV immunization involves giving an RSV antibody (nirsevimab) to babies or some toddlers. Nirsevimab should be given to babies shortly before the RSV season or within 1 week after birth if born shortly before or during the RSV season. Nirsevimab is given during October to March in most of the United States, but the timing of nirsevimab administration may differ in certain areas. Nirsevimab is also recommended for a small group of young children 8 through 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV. These children should receive nirsevimab shortly before the RSV season. This antibody protects against RSV and lasts at least five months.
You can get your flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines at the same visit.
There are considerations for people who are at higher risk for severe outcomes
Some groups of people are at a higher risk for severe outcomes due to infection with respiratory viruses and may be recommended additional or higher dose vaccines.
Flu
- People ages 65 years and older are recommended to use the higher dose flu vaccines (including high-dose inactivated and recombinant) or adjuvanted inactivated flu vaccine over standard-dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines. If none of these three vaccines is available at an opportunity for vaccine administration, then they can receive any other age-appropriate influenza vaccine.
- Children 6 months through 8 years of age who have not previously received 2 doses of flu vaccine or whose vaccination history is not known need 2 doses during a single respiratory virus season.
COVID-19
- Children ages 6 months to 4 years need more than one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including at least one dose of the 2024-2025 vaccine, to be up to date.
- People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine before should get 2 or 3 doses of the same brand of updated COVID-19 vaccine. They also may be able to get additional doses.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) plans to meet on October 23 and 24, 2024 to review scientific data and vote on vaccine recommendations. There may be changes to the immunization recommendations for certain groups following this meeting. These meetings are open to the public and available online via live webcast. Click here for more information.