Who Should be Vaccinated?

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Anchor lead: Who should get the flu vaccine? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Do you need to get the flu vaccine? According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yes, you do. Clare Rock, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, comments.

Rock: Really it’s is there anybody that shouldn’t get the flu vaccine? It’s indicated for everybody that’s six months of age or older. There are certain groups of people that are higher risk are more likely to benefit from the flu vaccine. They are those over the age of six months but under the age of five or six, those that are over 65 years of age, those that are pregnant, and then really anybody with any medical condition.  :27

Rock says anyone with lung or heart disease is at heightened risk not only to get the flu but also to be susceptible to other infections, such as pneumonia, that may follow. She says even those with egg allergies may be able to be vaccinated, so talk with your healthcare provider. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.