FLU SHOTS

When: Tues Sept 11, 2018
1PM – 4PM

where: Westbeth Community Room

In the United States, October through May is considered flu season. Most people will get the flu between late December and early March, which are typically the coldest months of the year. The cold weather combined with the low humidity allow flu virus particles to remain in the air for longer, making it easier for them to spread from person to person.

It takes roughly two weeks for the body to develop antibodies against the vaccine. If you’re exposed to the influenza virus before you get the vaccine, or within the two-week time frame after you get it, you can still catch the flu. For this reason, the CDC recommends that adults get vaccinated against the flu by the end of October.FREE Everyone welcome.

Flu vaccines work by stimulating your body’s immune system to create antibodies — large proteins that neutralize harmful bacteria and viruses. The antibodies developed as a reaction to the flu shot help to fight off any viral infection that you’re exposed to during flu season.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The efficacy of a flu shot varies from year to year, and between individuals. The factors that determine how well the flu shot prevents illness include the age and health of the person receiving the flu shot and the similarity between the strains circulating and the strains vaccinated against. Overall, the CDC has found that receiving a flu shot lowers the risk of catching the flu by about 50 to 60%. Those are odds worth considering if you’re unsure about getting the flu shot.

Sponsored by Westbeth Artists Residents Council and Northwell Lenox Hill.