Doctors Say 'Get a Flu Shot' This Season
2022-10-11
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1Some doctors believe COVID-19 restrictions that kept many people at home over the last two years reduced the number of flu cases.
2However, many countries have removed pandemic restrictions.
3Now, cold weather is coming to the northern half of the world, and doctors think the upcoming winter may bring a bad flu season.
4Flu, short for influenza, causes millions of infections in the U.S. each year.
5The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number has been as low as 9 million and as high as 40 million depending on recent years.
6Doctors in the U.S. expect to give out about 180 million flu shots this year.
7They are asking seniors, or people older than 65, to get a special, stronger flu shot if it is available where they live.
8Flu shots are recommended in the U.S. for people starting at six months of age.
9Richard Webby is a doctor who centers his work on the flu at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
10He said older people should ask for the kind of shot that is right for their age group.
11He said three of the shots available this year work better for older people.
12Younger people have choices, too.
13There are versions of the flu vaccine that work for people who are allergic to eggs and those who do not like injections.
14Another flu expert is Dr. Andrew Pekosz of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
15He said Australia recently had its worst flu season in five years.
16Pekosz said what happens in the southern half of the world can help predict what will happen in the northern half of the world.
17He said a strong flu is dangerous for young children who have never gotten the virus before.
18Jason Newland is a children's doctor who works on infectious diseases at Washington University in St. Louis in the state of Missouri.
19He said doctors are already treating children for infections like flu that affect the lungs.
20He said, "...we will see a true influenza season like we saw before the pandemic."
21The doctors said one reason for increased infections is that most people are no longer wearing face coverings.
22During the main part of the COVID-19 pandemic, they did.
23The CDC said people should get a flu vaccine by the end of October.
24But the agency said the shot can still be effective later in the year.
25Current vaccines take longer to make because scientists must grow the virus that will be used in the vaccine in a laboratory.
26Sometimes, the version of flu will change, or mutate. That means the vaccine become less effective.
27Companies that made the vaccines for COVID-19 are now working on flu vaccines.
28That makes medical observers hopeful that doctors will be able to contain the flu more easily each year.
29The mRNA vaccine technology, which is used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, is currently being tested for flu.
30If the tests are successful, scientists believe the mRNA vaccines will be able to be changed quickly if the flu virus changes.
31I'm Dan Friedell.
1Some doctors believe COVID-19 restrictions that kept many people at home over the last two years reduced the number of flu cases. 2However, many countries have removed pandemic restrictions. Now, cold weather is coming to the northern half of the world, and doctors think the upcoming winter may bring a bad flu season. 3Flu, short for influenza, causes millions of infections in the U.S. each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number has been as low as 9 million and as high as 40 million depending on recent years. 4Doctors in the U.S. expect to give out about 180 million flu shots this year. They are asking seniors, or people older than 65, to get a special, stronger flu shot if it is available where they live. 5Flu shots are recommended in the U.S. for people starting at six months of age. 6Richard Webby is a doctor who centers his work on the flu at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He said older people should ask for the kind of shot that is right for their age group. He said three of the shots available this year work better for older people. 7Younger people have choices, too. There are versions of the flu vaccine that work for people who are allergic to eggs and those who do not like injections. 8Strong flu season ahead 9Another flu expert is Dr. Andrew Pekosz of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. He said Australia recently had its worst flu season in five years. Pekosz said what happens in the southern half of the world can help predict what will happen in the northern half of the world. 10He said a strong flu is dangerous for young children who have never gotten the virus before. 11Jason Newland is a children's doctor who works on infectious diseases at Washington University in St. Louis in the state of Missouri. He said doctors are already treating children for infections like flu that affect the lungs. He said, "...we will see a true influenza season like we saw before the pandemic." 12The doctors said one reason for increased infections is that most people are no longer wearing face coverings. During the main part of the COVID-19 pandemic, they did. 13The CDC said people should get a flu vaccine by the end of October. But the agency said the shot can still be effective later in the year. 14Current vaccines take longer to make because scientists must grow the virus that will be used in the vaccine in a laboratory. Sometimes, the version of flu will change, or mutate. That means the vaccine become less effective. 15Future vaccines 16Companies that made the vaccines for COVID-19 are now working on flu vaccines. That makes medical observers hopeful that doctors will be able to contain the flu more easily each year. 17The mRNA vaccine technology, which is used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, is currently being tested for flu. If the tests are successful, scientists believe the mRNA vaccines will be able to be changed quickly if the flu virus changes. 18I'm Dan Friedell. 19Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. 20________________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22shot -n. injecting a medicine or vaccine into the body using a needle 23allergic -adj. related to a condition caused by a strong reaction to some substance which includes swelling or breathing problems 24________________________________________________________________________ 25We want to hear from you. Do you think you will get a flu shot this year? 26We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.