Health experts talk about the 2016 flu season

Flu season is just around the corner, and the Centers for Disease Control said the best way to prepare is getting a flu shot.

“Overall its a pretty universal recommendation that everyone should get it,” said Diandra Ruidera, an infectious diseases pharmacist at Desert Regional Medical Center.

Ruidera said this year’s vaccination is similar to last year.

“It’s the H1N1, H3N2 and the Victoria lineage and then if you get the four valent one which is what we have at the hospital, then you’re also protected against a fourth virus strain, which is the Yamagata strain,” Ruidera said.

Something that’s different this year is that the CDC no longer recommends the nasal spray.

“The FluMist that’s given intra-nasally was not as effective as the one that was given through the skin in protecting against some of the strains like H1N1 like we saw in the 2009 pandemic that occurred,” Ruidera said.

While the vaccine is your best line of defense, Ruidera said there’s other things you can do to stay healthy, like always washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into a Kleenex. But even after you’ve done all that you still could get the flu.

“For those who got the flu shot and still got sick, it could have been that they already had the virus before they got the flu shot or during the two-week period where the body is still ramping up and trying to create antibodies, so unfortunately you could still get the flu because you weren’t fully protected,” Ruidera said.

If you’re planning on getting vaccinated, it’s best to do it next month [October].

“The CDC recommends everyone get the flu shot by the end of October, but even if you don’t get it by the end of October, it still will give you protection during the entire flu season, which can go up to March or even April,” Ruidera said.