From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
With the start of fall, there is no better time to start thinking about seasonal vaccinations to fight respiratory illnesses like influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only around 30% of Americans aged 18-34 got the vaccine during the 2024-25 flu season. CDC data shows flu vaccination rates have fallen steadily year over year since the 2020-21 season.
Overall, only 40% to 45% of eligible Americans receive the vaccine each year, far short of the 70% goal set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Any seasonal vaccine you can get to prevent one or two illnesses, or even shorten the length and lessen the severity, is a big win,” said Dr. Adam Ritchie, a senior vaccinologist at the Jenner Institute and the University of Oxford.
“Seasonal vaccination against the flu is always to top of my list,” he said. “Getting the flu is really unpleasant, even for someone in their prime. The flu changes a lot year on year, so even if you were vaccinated previously you might not be fully protected this year,” said Ritchie, cautioning against young people’s tendency to forgo vaccination.
“Getting the seasonal flu vaccine means you are less likely to get ill,” he said, “But even if you do get the flu, it will be shorter and less severe than it would have been.”
Health experts generally encourage people to get vaccinated before the end of October. An autumn immunization allows the immune system to prepare for winter, the height of flu season.
In addition to the flu and COVID vaccines, the CDC recommends adults over 75, or 50 with preexisting conditions, receive the RSV vaccine.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, generally causes unremarkable symptoms. In older adults, those with chronic heart or lung disease, the immunocompromised, and those with certain other comorbidities, RSV can be deadly. As such, the CDC and other health authorities recommend vaccination for high-risk groups.
RSV can be dangerous at the beginning of life, too, as it’s the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States.
The CDC recommends either a maternal RSV vaccine or RSV antibodies administered to a baby post-birth.
The RSV vaccine is a single dose, so those who’ve already been vaccinated do not need to do so again.
Seniors who’ve not yet received their shingles or pneumococcal vaccines should do so as well, according to the CDC.
