Schaffner: Probability of developing a side effect to the 2016 flu shot is low
An influenza vaccine is considered the best way to reduce your chances of getting the bug, and the Centers for Disease Control recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive one every year. During the upcoming months, it's projected that between 157 million and 168 million doses of the injectable flu vaccine will be available for those hoping to avoid the worst of the flu strains, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Since the flu virus frequently drifts in its genetic composition, you have to reformat the vaccine, and this is one of the reason[s] that people have to [get a flu shot] on an annual basis," Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine and infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Live Science.