Many
pharmacies
across
the
country
are
now
offering
updated
flu
shots,
just
like
every
other
year
around
this
time.

But

unlike
every
other
year,
the
federal
government
is
not
doing
much
to
promote
fall
vaccinations
like
the
flu
shot.

While
it’s
unclear
if
there
will
be
any
official
communications
on
fall
vaccines,
campaigns
usually
launch
in
late
summer.


Epidemiology
experts
have
also
noted
there
appears
to
be
no
federal
push
for
shots.

The
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services,
and
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
did
not
respond
to
HuffPost’s
multiple
requests
for
comment
on
the
potential
lack
of
a
fall
vaccination
campaign.

“In
past
years,
late
summer
and
fall
have
brought
a
steady
drumbeat
of
federal
messaging
about
flu
vaccination,”
said

Dr.
Katrine
Wallace,
an
epidemiologist
at
the
University
of
Illinois
Chicago.

“The
CDC,
HHS
and
the
White
House
have
used
television
and
digital
advertising,
social
media,
news
briefings
and
community
outreach
to
remind
Americans
that
flu
vaccination
is
recommended
each
year
and
to
encourage
people
to
get
vaccinated
before
flu
season
peaks.”

In
2010,
for
example,
then-President

Barack
Obama
declared
a
week
in
December
as

National
Influenza
Vaccination
Week.
And
during
President

Joe
Biden’s
administration
in
2023,
the
CDC
launched
“Wild
to
Mild,”
a
flu
vaccine
campaign
that
promoted
the
benefits
of
the
shot,
particularly
in
high-risk
populations
where
vaccination
rates
were
dropping.
In
2024,
the
Biden
administration
had
a
campaign
known
as
“Risk
Less.
Do
More,”
which
promoted
the
flu
shot,
COVID
shot
and
RSV
vaccine.

But
in
2025,
Health
and
Human
Services
Secretary
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.
instructed
the
CDC
to
stop
vaccine
promotion
campaigns
like
“Wild
to
Mild”
and
to
have
“advertisements
that
promote
the
idea
of
‘informed
consent’
in
vaccine
decision-making
instead,”

according
to
STAT.

“The
change
matters
because
federal
health
agencies
have
historically
played
an
important
role
in
reminding
people
that
flu
vaccination
is
recommended
each
year
and
encouraging
them
to
get
vaccinated
before
flu
season
begins,”
Wallace
explained.

“Less
prominent
or
less
consistent
messaging
could
leave
some
people
unsure
about
whether
they
still
need
a
flu
shot.”

It
is
recommended
that
everyone
6
months
and
older
get
their
annual
flu
shot.

Dr.
Jennifer
Gershman,
a
clinical
pharmacist
and
member
of
the
Scientific
Advisory
Board
at

Unbiased
Science,
agreed.
“We
have
noticed
that
there’s
been
less
promotion
by
the
government.”

Now,
medical
societies
(such
as

the
American
Academy
of
Pediatrics
and
the
American
Academy
of
Family
Physicians)
are
stepping
up
to
promote
the
flu
vaccine
and
encourage
everyone
6
months
and
older
to
get
it,
Gershman
said.

On
its
website,
the
CDC

does
still
recommend
the
flu
shot
for
everyone
6
months
and
older,
Wallace
noted,
but
“Americans
are
hearing
less
from
the
federal
government
about
the
importance
of
getting
that
shot.”

“A
formal
recommendation
on
a
government
website
is
not
the
same
thing
as
an
active
public
health
campaign,”
Wallace
said.
“For
many
people,
particularly
those
who
do
not
routinely
seek
out
health
information,
federal
reminders
and
highly
visible
vaccination
campaigns
may
be
what
prompt
them
to
make
an
appointment
or
ask
their
doctor
about
a
flu
shot.”

You
can
now
make
an
appointment
to
get
the
updated
flu
shot.

All
this
to
say,
you
can
get
your
flu
shot
from
many
pharmacies,
including
nationwide
chains
like
Walgreens
and
CVS,
as
soon
as
today.

“All
adults
can
get
vaccinated
in
pharmacies,”
Gershman
said,
but
noted
that
in
some
states,
pharmacies
aren’t
authorized
to
vaccinate
children
under
3.
In
those
areas,
parents
can
bring
kids
to
their
pediatrician’s
office
for
the
flu
shot.

It’s
best
to
get
the
flu
vaccine
in
September
or
October,
particularly
before
Halloween,
Gershman
added.

“The
composition
for
the
2026-2027
flu
vaccines
has
been
updated,”
Wallace
said.
The
updated
flu
shot
protects
against
three
circulating
flu
strains,
including
“the
subclade
K,
that
contributed
to
the
rough
flu
season
last
year,”
Gershman
said.

There’s
also
a
new
vaccine
available
for
adults
over
50
known
as
mFLUSIVA,
a
mRNA
flu
shot
that

better
protects
against
the
flu.

“It’s
important
for
people
to
realize
too
that
it
takes
about
two
weeks,
once
you
get
the
flu
shot,
for
the
body
to
build
up
immunity,”
Gershman
said.
“So,
that’s
why
it’s
good
to
get
it
before
flu
season
starts.”

Flu
season
tends
to
peak
in
the
winter
around
and
after
the
holiday
season.

The
last
two
flu
seasons
have
been
some
of
the
most
severe
in
recent
history,
with
the
2025-2026
flu
season

being
the
worst
one
in
25
years
with
high
rates
of
illness,
hospitalization
and
death.

It’s
hard
to
predict
what
will
happen
this
flu
season,
Gershman
said,
but
by
getting
your
flu
shot,
you
can
protect
yourself
against
severe
outcomes
like
hospitalization
and
death.

“Even
if
someone
comes
down
with
the
flu,
if
they’re
vaccinated,
it
can
really
help
protect
them
against
those
type
of
outcomes,”
she
said.

And
don’t
let
the
“eerie
silence,”
as
described
in
the
Your
Local
Epidemiologist
substack,
from
the
federal
government
confuse
you.
Flu
shots
are
available
and
an
effective
way
to
protect
yourself,
your
loved
ones
and
your
neighbors
this
fall
and
winter.