techmom99:
H and I got our shots this weekend, as did youngest son. However, and I throw this out for discussion, a friend of mine who works at a hospital said she is waiting until the end of October for hers because the protection wears off. I always get mine on the early side because it takes two weeks to become effective. I never heard of the protection wearing off. What does everyone here think?
It is a real concern, since immunity from influenza vaccine fades rather quickly compared to other vaccines.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/04/how-long-do-vaccines-last-surprising-answers-may-help-protect-people-longer
Like millions of people in the United States last year, Stanley Plotkin and his wife got vaccinated against influenza at the start of the Northern Hemisphere’s flu season, in early October. Plotkin, a physician and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, knew well the value of the shot: He is one of the world’s most renowned vaccinologists, having had a hand in several vaccines on the market, including the one for rubella. He’s even the co-author of the standard medical textbook, Vaccines .
In January, just 3 months later, the couple got a second flu shot.
That was an unusual choice, one not recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides the country’s vaccine usage. But a growing body of evidence that the protective immune responses triggered by flu vaccines wane in a matter of weeks persuaded Plotkin to return to the clinic. “The time and cost was trivial compared to the importance of influenza at my age,” says Plotkin, 86. “With flu, we’re not talking about getting a case of the sniffles.”
Note that the above article also says that pertussis and mumps vaccine derived immunity fades to the point that vaccine derived immunity probably should not be considered lifetime. You may want to consider getting booster vaccines for those (e.g. choose Tdap instead of Td for the recommended booster every ten years).