National Influenza Vaccination Week is set for Dec. 8 – 12. Therefore, Americans are all invited to get their flu shots as soon as possible especially that the flu season is just one month away.

Now it’s the perfect time to get immunized against the flu, thus protecting yourself, your family and friends, colleagues and anyone you might come across and spread the virus to. And with the number of doses already on the market (143 million) there should be no problem for anyone to find the vaccine.

One thing is new this year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shots for children as young as 6 months, a measure meant to decrease the number of infections. There is no secret that most cases occur and are spread through children. The previous recommendation was that children 5 and under be vaccinated.

Besides children, people who are at a high risk of having serious complications from the flu or people who live or care for those at high risk for serious complications should get vaccinated right away. These people include pregnant women, people 50 years of age and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, people who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities, home caregivers of children less than 6 months or age and healthcare workers. That means 30 million kids and a total of 86 percent of Americans are now supposed to get their flu shots this year.

Annually, influenza kills about 36,000 Americans while 200,000 others need hospitalization. Seniors present a high risk of complications from the flu. That’s why the majority of flu deaths occur among this category of age.

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness, which might pose serious threats to people developing it. Its symptoms include chills and fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. Serious flu cases can develop in pneumonia, which in young children and the elderly alike can be fatal, which is why the latter two category are the most urged to get vaccinated against influenza.

The flu season lasts from December through March peaking in January and February. However, the CDC recommends getting a flu shot as early as October. The shot will provide immunity within two to three weeks and last throughout the flu season. There is no guarantee that once you get the vaccine you will be 100 percent safe but there is nothing better to prevent the flu. It is still better than nothing.

The companies providing flu shots are Sanofi Pasteur, Australia’s CSL LTD, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG. As a novelty this year, people can protect themselves against the flu through a special nasal spray that is as effective as the vaccine. Its maker is MedImmune, acquired by AstraZeneca Plc.