As fall continues, you may have already prepared yourself for the flu season by getting a flu vaccine. But if you’re still wondering when to get a flu shot for the 2024–2025 flu season, you should know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people aged 6 months and older should have one by the end of October, with few exceptions.
The CDC makes this recommendation because the flu season usually begins in October and peaks sometime between December and February. Of course, the flu season can change—in the fall of 2022, for example, it started early and peaked by the end of November—but that’s the usual pattern.
However, if you don’t have a flu shot by the end of October, it’s important to be prepared for holiday gatherings later in the year by having a flu vaccine in advance. It takes about two weeks for a flu vaccine to build up enough antibodies in the body to help protect against the flu. Take time in the fall to schedule your shot with any future events like large gatherings in mind.
