People of any age can get influenza. Healthy people should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families from influenza to avoid spreading the virus to others, to avoid missing quality time with their families and to avoid lost time from work and to avoid spreading the virus to others, particularly those who can become very ill from the flu. Influenza is much worse than a cold. Even healthy, young people can become quite ill.

Influenza vaccines are designed to protect against a specific virus, so a pandemic vaccine cannot be produced until a new pandemic influenza virus emerges and is identified. Even after a pandemic influenza virus has been identified, it could take at least 6 months to develop, test and produce vaccine.

The flu virus can change from year to year, and the protection you get from a flu vaccine declines over time. That's why you need a flu vaccination once a year, every year. The best time to get vaccinated is in October or November, at the start of the flu season. However, since flu season often does not peak until December or later, you can still benefit from getting the flu vaccine after November.

There is no vaccine for humans against avian flu. The vaccine against human influenza virus does not protect against avian flu.

There is no commercial vaccine currently available, but clinical trials for a vaccine against the H5N1 virus are underway.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded two contracts to support the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1, which might have the potential to cause pandemic influenza.

Vaccines against bird flu are already being made and tested. Experts are also testing new ways of making vaccine quickly. If pandemic flu occurs, we’ll need a vaccine for the specific virus causing the pandemic. Flu viruses change constantly so there’s little time to prepare a vaccine in advance. This new virus would be different from the current bird flu virus. So although it's possible we may have a bird flu vaccine, it's also possible it may not work on the pandemic flu virus.

Vaccines against the H5N1 avian flu currently occurring in SE Asia are under development. These are not the same as a pandemic vaccine ? if a pandemic were to emerge from this virus the virus may have changed to such an extent that this vaccine may not be appropriate.

There is not a flu vaccine (also know as a flu shot) against the current avian flu (H5N1) commercially available at this time. However, vaccines are produced each year for seasonal flu ("the flu") that may prevent the flu or lessen symptoms. University Health Services (UHS) schedules "flu shot clinics" during the fall. For more information please see, Flu Shot Update.

If people outside the recommended groups wish to make arrangements to pay for a 'flu vaccination privately, that is their choice.

Flu immunization is the best way to protect against influenza. Healthy people should get vaccinated each year to protect themselves and avoid spreading the virus to others in their family, to co-workers and in the community. For workplaces, if employees are encouraged to be immunized against influenza; the costs of absenteeism can be reduced and productivity increased with more employees present to get the work done.

Influenza vaccine cannot prevent avian influenza as the vaccine was meant for human influenza. However, the vaccine can help reduce the chance of complications and hospitalization from human influenza; hence it is recommended for the elderly and patients with chronic illnesses. Influenza vaccine can also reduce the chance of genetic re-assortment and subsequent emergence of influenza strain with pandemic potential.

present, there is no vaccine providing protection against avian influenza. As a precaution, the WHO has taken steps [introduced procedures] for rapid production of a new vaccine. However, people extensively exposed to poultry infected with the H5N1 strain should be innoculated with the existing vaccines. These are effective against human influenza viruses, and may reduce the likelihood of genetic material being exchanged with avian influenza viruses.

According to the CDC, an influenza vaccination is about 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing influenza, or reducing its severity, and is considered safe. However, vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year, depending upon the degree of similarity between the influenza virus strains included in the vaccine and the strain or strains that circulate during the influenza season.

The most serious side effect that can occur after influenza vaccination is an allergic reaction in people who have a severe allergy to eggs. For this reason, people who have an allergy to eggs should not receive the influenza vaccine. The National Center for Infectious Diseases (a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) says that influenza vaccine causes no side effects in most people who are not allergic to eggs.

The long-term goal is to have enough vaccine for everyone. However, if there's a vaccine, it will likely be in short supply during the early stages of a pandemic. Today, it could take a year to produce enough vaccine for everyone in the U.S. Current techniques require months to make and test vaccines, and there are only two U.S. producers of flu vaccine.

Currently available flu vaccines only protect against the currently circulating ordinary flu. The virus causing a pandemic will be so different from the strains in the vaccine that they are very unlikely to provide any significant immunity in a pandemic situation. New vaccine must be developed to match the new pandemic strain. Can any vaccine left from previous years be used? No. It will only provide protection against old strains of influenza virus, not against a new strain.

Yes -- both in general, and specifically for encephalitis, eczema vaccinatum, and generalized vaccinia (1968 US data).

Influenza vaccines are designed to protect against a specific virus, so a pandemic vaccine cannot be produced until a new pandemic influenza virus emerges and is identified. Even after a pandemic influenza virus has been identified, it could take at least 6 months to develop, test and produce vaccine.

A.) No, flu immunity is not a given. It must be earned by winning the Flu Immunity Challenge. Then you are exempt from the flu for the next three days.

A.) Private physicians, city and county health departments and healthcare professionals at an onsite wellness center near you can provide the shots. Often, the local Senior Center will offer flu shots for their participants.

In the U.S., the flu season usually lasts from December through March. Occasionally the season may begin a month or two earlier, or last a month or two longer.

No. There is currently no vaccine to protect people against AI infection or disease, though one is being developed. There is however good evidence that avian flu viruses respond to antiviral drugs.

The flu vaccine reduces the average person's chances of catching the flu by up to 80% during flu season. Because the vaccine prevents infection with only a few of the viruses that can cause flu-like symptoms, it isn't a guarantee against getting sick. But even if someone who's gotten the vaccine gets the flu, symptoms usually will be fewer and milder. Flu vaccines contain killed flu viruses that will not cause the flu, but will prepare the body to fight off infection by the live flu virus.