Vaccine Hesitancy | Ask the Doc | Good Day Central Illinois

PEORIA, Ill. (WYZZ) — As we roll into the holiday season, Dr. Brian Curtis reminded us why it is important to get the flu vaccine.

According to Dr. Curtis, in Central Illinois, flu season tends to peak around January or February. Since it takes about two to four weeks for our bodies to build immunity from the vaccine , that makes right now the perfect time to get our shots. That immunity typically lasts four to six months, well through the flu season.

Children, pregnant people, immunocompromised individuals, and those over sixty-five are most at risk for more serious infections, which means their vaccine regime might look a little different. For example, kids under nine years old are typically going to need two rounds of shots when they first get the flu vaccine. Those shots will typically be a month apart from each other. Children can start receiving their flu shots at six months or older .

Dr. Brian Curtis said two hundred children died of the flu last year , but despite this, there is still a lot of vaccine hesitancy following the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Curtis believes the best way to combat this skepticism is through education, communication, and an open dialogue. He also said that people should be careful about where they are getting their information from.

For those feeling nervous or unsure about the flu vaccine, Dr. Curtis reminded us to remember we are not just getting vaccinated for ourselves, but for our loved ones.

“We know that even if the vaccine isn’t one hundred percent effective, and it doesn’t match the flu strain that you catch, we know that people who had the flu vaccine do better.” He continued, “And the people we see in the hospital, and the people we see that die every year, are people that haven’t gotten vaccinated— or they have people around them who weren’t vaccinated.”

After getting a flu shot, Dr. Curtis said people can expect some soreness and achiness. Otherwise, he said it is more tolerable of a vaccine than most shots.

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