flu shot

Flu-associated deaths in North Carolina have now reached 20 since the season began. 

There's plenty of vaccine available this year, and the sooner people get vaccinated the better, federal health officials say. A recent drop in vaccination, especially among the elderly, concerns them.

The vaccine is already showing up in drugstores, but maybe wait until Halloween to get the shot, doctors say, especially if you're over 65 and want to be protected against flu this winter.

A panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against using a needle-free flu vaccine that's popular with pediatricians, parents and children.

Babies are much less likely to get the flu in their first months of life if mom got a flu shot while she was pregnant, a study finds. Yet most expectant mothers don't get immunized.

An NPR poll finds nearly two-thirds of adults got this year's flu vaccine or plan to get it. Many of those who are skipping vaccination cite a lack of need and worries about side effects.

Public health officials were surprised last year when the dominant strain of circulating flu mutated after the flu vaccine had been formulated. The current version looks like a better match.

Step aside, injections! The next flu vaccine you see might look more like a bandage — a patch covered in 100 microscopic needles that dissolve in the skin in just a few minutes.

People concerned about potential flu vaccine side effects may be less likely to get the shot after learning that their worries are more misplaced than they were to start with.