Do you want to be influenza-free this winter? Then, you’d better contact your health care provider and get vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended.

Whether you’re a pregnant woman, a 50-year-old or over this age, an adult with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or asthma (that usually increase your risk for complications once you contracted the flu), a health-care worker or whether your job implies getting in touch with people around you, then you are required to get a flu shot as soon as possible. Besides these categories of people, the CDC urges parents to have their children vaccinated and for the first time the agency has expanded its recommendations to include kids aged 6 months to 18 years.

Overall, about 86 percent of Americans are supposed to get the flu vaccine this year or 261 million people. The CDC said that US has 145 million doses of flu vaccine on hand this year which of course is far from being enough but considering the fact that last year were used just 113 million of 140 million flu shots available, the authorities have nothing to worry about that the shots won’t be enough.

Also the CDC is confident that the vaccine available this year would work much better than the one provided last year which was only 44 percent efficient. All three strains that make this year’s vaccine were changed.

In conclusion if you want to avoid fever, cough, flu complications, headaches, workdays missed because you’re sick or your kid is sick and hospitalization it’s better to get immunized before it’s too late.