Flu has hit the state — and the country — early and hard this year, according to the Red Cross.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that everyone over 6 months of age should get a flu shot, even after the season has started. The agency's Web site says: "It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu."
Unlike in some years past, this year's vaccine seems to be targeted toward the right forms of flu, though some people who have been vaccinated are getting the flu anyway. Those who have been vaccinated usually have a shorter and milder bout with the illness.
Despite that, some people don't want the vaccine because of perceived risks, and recent reports say there may be some shortages now that flu is spreading.
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