Is it too early for your flu shot? 💉

Health News:

• The CDC changed how it tracks measles deaths, and its current count for 2026 is now zero. (KFF Health). Meanwhile…
  
  
  
• … Pennsylvania has confirmed two measles-associated deaths this year, with a third still pending. (MedPage Today)
  
  
  
• The new Legionella outbreak in the Bronx is up to 10 cases, and the bacteria was found in multiple cooling towers, including one at Yankee Stadium. (NBC News)
  
  
  
• Congo’s Ebola outbreak keeps getting bigger and spreading into neighboring provinces, with more than 6,800 cases and 3,300 deaths. (AP News)
  
  
  
• San Francisco had its first death tied to cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid that’s about 10 times stronger than fentanyl.  (SF Chronicle)
  
  
  
• A heart drug that cardiologists had high hopes for failed its clinical trial. (NY Times)
  
  
  
• A second person died from Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, with ducks coming up a lot in the largest outbreak. (CDC)
  
  
  
• As the largest cyclospora outbreak ends, the FDA is asking the food industry to do more to prevent the next one, from the field to the plate. (FDA)
  
  
  
• A large MRSA outbreak in Ireland was tracked back to a kids’ bouncy castle at a neighborhood party. (CIDRAP)
  
  
  
• A drug-resistant form of ringworm is spreading in the U.S. Some infections aren’t responding to the usual antifungal treatments. (The Hill)
  
  
  
• Some good news: Denmark hasn’t had a case of congenital syphilis since 2016, thanks in large part to prenatal screening. (CIDRAP)
  
  

Best Question:

When should I get a flu shot? 

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While we are seeing some influenza-like activity, actual flu levels still remain relatively low at this early date.  It’s starting to rise - mostly in children under the age of 4.  Regionally, the South is seeing a steady week-over-week increase in ER visits for flu-like illness - mostly in FL, GA, and TX.  It actually is possible to get your flu shot too soon since it only offers maximum protection for a few months, and flu season tends to peak in the later winter months. Knowing exactly when the peak will happen is a bit of a guessing game, but generally, it’s best to wait until mid-September (now) at the earliest and the end of October at the latest. 

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Remember, it takes about two weeks for the shots to become fully effective, so if you have a big event that you really want to be protected for during that time, be sure to go get your vaccination a couple of weeks before the big day. If you are likely to only go in once for a vaccination, you may want to go a bit sooner during that window and get both your COVID and flu shots together. If it’s easy for you to go in, you might consider a COVID shot sooner and waiting until a bit later to get your flu shot closer so that you have maximum flu protection during December and January. Either way, you should absolutely go to get a flu shot before Halloween!

Source: NY Times, NBC

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Best Read:

Once you’ve figured out when to get your flu shot, there are more choices than usual this year, including a new mRNA vaccine, at-home FluMist and home tests for flu, COVID and RSV. We felt like this was a great breakdown of what’s new and available, with a bit more insight into what flu season may look like this year.

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How Bad Will This Year’s Flu Season Be? - The New York Times

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