Episode Transcript
Interviewer: Why should you get your flu shot earlier than later? We'll examine that next on The Scope.
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Interviewer: Dr. Susan Terry is the executive medical director for the community clinics at University of Utah Health Care. The flu shot. It actually starts becoming available usually in September, is that correct?
Dr. Terry: Even late August now.
Interviewer: Late August. So is there an advantage to getting your flu shot sooner than later and as early as August?
Dr. Terry: Yes. There is definitely an advantage. Of course, it takes two weeks to become immune so you want to make sure that you get your flu shot as early as possible so you develop immunity before flu becomes really commonly seen in the community. And that usually happens starting in late October and extending through February or March. We know that you have the best protection from flu vaccine during that period of time if you develop immunity prior to flu being seen in the communities.
Interviewer: Yeah, it's a little too late if you're getting it at the height of the season when most people think about it. "Oh, all my coworkers are sick. Now, maybe I should go get the shot."
Dr. Terry: Or if you say, "I don't want to be sick for Thanksgiving or Christmas and two days before you decide to get your flu shot that's not really going to protect you."
Interviewer: Are there other advantages to getting the flu shot sooner than later?
Dr. Terry: The more people who are immune in the community, the less influenza we see in the community. So we help protect others who are maybe not going to have as good an immune response to their vaccination or who fail to get a vaccination.
Interviewer: And generally those are elderly and kids.
Dr. Terry: Yes, particularly babies less than six months old, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Interviewer: And from what I understand, for the average person, flu shots are 70% effective at preventing the flu that you're vaccinated for but if you're elderly it drops quite a bit.
Dr. Terry: It can drop down quite a bit especially if the elderly have a chronic disease.
Interviewer: Is herd immunity something you like to talk about or not really?
Dr. Terry: Well, we do. We love to see herd immunity. We actually know that the more years you get a flu shot the more years you get a flu shot the better your immune response to influenza is going to be. So if you get a flu shot six or eight or ten years in a row you're going to have better immunity and the community will have better immunity.
Interviewer: Yeah, you have less people spreading that virus around.
Dr. Terry: Right.
Interviewer: Are there advantages to getting your flu shot early?
Dr. Terry: Make sure there are flu shots available. This year we have a great supply. We have about 160 million flu vaccines available in the country so there should be plenty. In some years that's not always the case, so you want to make sure you get in there and get yours.
Interviewer: My wife, her excuse is that she feels that she feels that she is healthy and has a healthy immune system and in those years where there is shortage she wants other people to get them. Is that solid logic or not quite solid logic?
Dr. Terry: It's thoughtful.
Interviewer: I'll tell her that.
Dr. Terry: And it's nice but again, we want as many people to be immune as possible so getting herself immune and protecting her family and other people she comes in contact with is really important.
Interviewer: Especially kids, elderly, pregnant women, that sort of thing.
Dr. Terry: Yes.
Interviewer: All right. Do you have any final thoughts on this subject?
Dr. Terry: Get a flu shot. The other thing you need to do is make sure you keep doing all the other things that we do to prevent infection. Wash your hands, stay away from crowds, don't go to work if you're sick, protect your co-workers that way. I know it's hard to take a day off from work but sometimes you can take one or two days off from work and prevent the whole office from having to take weeks off.
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