Why do doctors suggest that people get a flu vaccination each year?

Influenza is a communicable disease that is highly contagious (spreads easily). The CDC reports that “people with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts think that flu viruses are spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.”

The flu is not a reportable disease, but the CDC estimates that since 2010, between 9.2 million and 35.6 million people get sick. In a bad year, that’s about one in 10 Americans. Of these people who are sick, a decent number wind up in the hospital, and a surprising number die. In 2014, more than 57,000 people died of influenza/pneumonia. It was the eighth-most common cause of death, behind diabetes (just under 80,000 deaths). It’s also the only cause of death in the top 10 that could be significantly reduced by a vaccine. Influenza vaccination during the 2015-2016 influenza season prevented an estimated 5.1 million illnesses, 2.5 million medical visits, 71,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 P&I deaths. It’s only common sense to be vaccinated.

*I should note that I based this post on an article in The New York Times by Aaron E. Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, titled “Still Not Convinced You Need a Flu Shot? First, It’s Not All About You.”

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