When Should You Get Your Flu Shot For Maximum Protection?

It's that time of year again, when your pharmacy is texting you that flu shots are now available and your kid comes home with a form in their backpack for the vaccine event at school. If you know you'll be traveling this fall or around a large group, you might be wondering when the best time is to get a flu shot. As vaccination rates have dwindled in recent years and flu cases (and complications) are on the rise, it's more important than ever to experts that you know the flu vaccine is safe. But can you get it at a certain time to maximize that protection? We asked two vaccine experts when you should ideally receive your shot to get you through the worst of flu season unscathed.

When is the best time to get a flu shot?

There actually is an ideal window of time, says Dr. Suraj Saggar, chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center. Flu season runs from October to May; cases usually peak in December around the holidays or in early January, drop, and then sometimes have a second peak in February, he says. So, you'll want to time your shot to offer you the most protection through that extra contagious time.

"I tell most people, including my family, to get it towards the end of September. If you get it by the end of September, then by early October you are fully vaccinated, and then you're within the season of October to May," Saggar says.

"The flu season changes a little every year, but typically the best time to get vaccinated is September to October, which is before we start seeing much flu," says Dr. Katie Lockwood, MEd, pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The American Academy of Pediatrics has a clever saying of 'flu before boo,' meaning that you should get your flu shot before Halloween, so this is what I strive for every year. I already got my flu shot this year!"

It takes about two weeks for your body to react to the vaccine and produce enough antibodies to protect you from catching the flu, Saggar and Lockwood explained. "It may start protecting you sooner than that, but it's ideal to give yourself a two-week head start if you are vaccinating prior to a high-risk activity, such as traveling or seeing elderly family members," says Lockwood.

So, if you're going to be visiting a theme park, traveling on an airplane, or visiting older loved ones, your "ideal" time to get vaccinated may be different from these experts' general rule of thumb. Maybe you do need to get the shot when they first come out, usually around August. When I spoke with Saggar on the phone, the hospital where he works had just called him to say there was a patient in the emergency room with a severe case of the flu. If you hear of it making the rounds in your community, you could always move your own personal timeline up.

That said, doing so may mean your protection runs out before flu season technically ends. If you get it in August, Saggar says, the effectiveness may wane by March or April, and flu season runs through May 1. Most cases will be over and done by then, he says, but he has seen cases of influenza in April and early May if it's been a cold spring, he says.

That said, it sounds like the best time to book your family's flu shots is any day between now and Halloween. That should get you through the peak flu season without contracting it. Now if only we could prevent all the other random little colds and viruses our kids are sure to bring home from school this winter...