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Austin area doctors urge families to get flu shots earlier this year

Austin area doctors are predicting a particularly aggressive flu season this year, and are urging everyone to get a flu shot earlier.

AUSTIN — The Centers for Disease Control are urging families and travelers get their flu shots even earlier this year, predicting this year's flu season to be an aggressive one.

The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get their flu vaccine between now through preferably the end of October. Flu symptoms typically include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, body aches and fatigue. These symptoms however could be far worse for those who are in what are considered to be "high-risk groups," such as children young than 5, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

There are different ways to get the vaccination, either from a range in needle-types to the nasal spray.

Dr. Albert Gros, chief medical officer over St. David's South Austin Medical Center, said he would like to see the number of flu vaccinations go up well ahead of this flu season.

"It looked like in November of last year, the vaccination rate was about 38 and a half percent across most age groups," said Gros. "That's barely over a third of the people that are eligible who got vaccines last year."

According to the CDC, and published in the American Academy of Pediatrics Flu Vaccine Recommendations for 2018-19, the agency reported that the severity of last year's flu season claimed the lives of nearly 180 children. About 80 percent of those children had not received a flu vaccination.

Gros explained that it typically takes the vaccine two to three weeks to become fully effective, so the sooner someone is able to get ahead of the start of flu season, the better. He said that another concern around this particular flu season is also due to the expectancy of a colder winter.

"There is the prediction that we might have a colder winter, and all of those things tend to drive people indoors and close quarters and tend to increase the chance that could have a bad flu season," said Gros. "Last year we had a very heavy flu season and we have no reason it's going to be any lighter this year. We may get lucky, we may not, and that's why the CDC is recommending we get aggressive with the vaccinations as soon as possible."

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