Early Flu Season Should Be Taken Seriously

Flu season is starting earlier than usual in Wyoming. Department of Health Spokeswoman Kim Deti says February and March are usually the peak times for the illness, and it’s not clear why the season is starting early.

Deti says everyone over the age of six months should get a flu shot. She says the vaccines are not guaranteed to prevent getting the flu, but they’re the best protection available.

“The seasonal flu vaccine basically carries protections for three strains of flu,” Deti said. “And the experts every year decide which three … are most likely to be circulating in our country that year. And they formulate the seasonal flu vaccine based on that information.”

Deti says flu shots are especially important for pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone with diseases that compromise their immune system.