It’s that time of year again. Flu season is upon us, but doctors fear this fall and winter could see an increase in cases as many people continue to think getting the flu is no big deal, or that if you’re young and healthy, you don’t need a flu shot.
"We predict that the 2025 flu season may be particularly active, as recent years have shown increased flu activity,” says Geehan Suleyman, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Henry Ford Health. “Getting your annual flu shot is the best way to protect yourself.”
Here, Dr. Suleyman dispels several myths about the flu.
7 Common Flu Shot Myths
Myth: If you’re young and healthy, the flu won’t make you sick.
“Everyone is vulnerable to the flu,” says Dr. Suleyman. “While older adults, young children, pregnant women and individuals with chronic conditions are at higher risk, even healthy children and adults can become seriously ill from the flu and may require hospitalization. That’s why the flu vaccine is strongly recommended for everyone from the age of six months. The at-risk population is everyone.”
Myth: Flu shots aren’t safe.
Recent concerns over thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative historically used in vaccines to prevent bacteria growth, has discouraged some people from getting flu shots. However, thimerosal was removed from all childhood vaccines in the U.S. starting in 2001, and as of 2025, it has now been eliminated from all flu vaccines as well. Today’s flu vaccines are thimerosal-free and safe for everyone aged six months and older. If you are concerned about thimerosal in vaccines, your provider can answer any additional questions.
Myth: If you get the flu vaccine once, you don’t need to get it again.
The flu can mutate yearly, which is why it’s necessary to get an annual flu vaccine that targets variants that were circulating during the southern hemisphere flu season.
Myth: You can get the flu from the flu shot.
“This is a very old myth,” says Dr. Suleyman. “The injectable flu vaccines don’t contain live virus, so it’s biologically impossible to get the flu from the flu vaccine. It’s safe for everyone, including people who are immunocompromised or who have underlying medical problems.”
Get Your Flu Shot
Myth: The flu shot isn’t that effective, so it doesn’t matter if you get it.
“It’s true that the flu vaccine has a lower efficacy rate some years than others, but it’s still important to get the flu vaccine,” says Dr. Suleyman. “When more people are vaccinated against the flu, the virus has fewer opportunities to spread within the community. If you’re vaccinated, your chances of getting the flu is reduced, and if you do get it, you’re likely to experience a milder illness and a lower risk of serious complications.”
Myth: The flu isn’t that different from a cold.
“The flu does look different from the common cold,” says Dr. Suleyman. “Often, people with the flu get a high-grade fever and chills. They don’t have much in the way of a runny nose or congestion, but they may have a headache, muscle or body aches, sore throat, or cough. They can get ill pretty quickly and end up in the hospital. It’s important to remember that flu can be severe.”
Myth: I had the flu last year, so I’m protected from getting it again.
Just like with COVID-19, the flu has many variants. Contracting one variant won’t necessarily protect you from contracting another variant. “The flu variants change all of the time, and that’s why the flu vaccine changes almost every year,” says Dr. Suleyman. “And just because you had the flu last year doesn’t mean you’ll be protected this year, unfortunately.”
Myth: Since the flu vaccine only lasts a few months, I should wait until later in the flu season to get the flu shot.
“It’s recommended that everybody get their flu shot before flu season starts,” says Dr. Suleyman. “From the time you get immunized, it takes a couple of weeks to develop maximum protection. And because we never know exactly when cases will spike—in Michigan, flu season usually begins in October each fall, with peaks between December and February—it’s best to get your flu shot as soon as you can. The vaccine likely lasts you the whole flu season."
Flu Protection Year-Round
While flu season is generally considered to start in fall, it can extend long into spring.
“Influenza is a very cooperative virus in that it’s normally more prevalent during the fall and winter months,” says Dr. Suleyman. “However, we do still sometimes see flu cases in the summer, just at much lower rates.”
To make sure you are protected all year, get your flu shot during flu season and keep up with proper hand washing practices to avoid the spread of germs, avoid close contact with people who are sick, and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Reviewed by Dr. Geehan Suleyman, an infectious disease specialist and Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Henry Ford Health.
