ATLANTA — The leaves haven't even changed, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants you to start thinking about the winter flu season.
Curtis Allen, CDC spokesman, urged people to get their flu vaccine now.
"The ideal thing to do is to get the flu vaccine as early as possible," he said.
With influenza activity typically peaking in January or February, many patients wait until at least October or November to get the vaccine, according to Allen.
But by that time, some doctors' offices may run out of supply. And if you get the vaccine now, you are covered for a longer period.
Getting vaccinated on the earlier side could prove to be especially important this year because the CDC recently expanded its recommendation for vaccinations to children up to their 19th birthday, with the exception of infants younger than 6 months and those with serious egg allergies. (Previously, it was recommended for children between ages 6 months and 5 years.)
Dr. Chip Harbaugh of Children's Medical Group expects a surge in demand at the practice's two large metro Atlanta offices, which typically administer 16,000 flu vaccines. He's also hoping families don't put it off.
"If everyone waits until later in the season, it would overburden our health-care offices," said Harbaugh, whose office started doing flu vaccines in early August. "It could be overwhelming."
About 145 million doses of the flu vaccine — which include the flu shot and nasal-spray flu vaccine — will be shipped out this flu season, up from 113 million last year, according to Allen.
They started reaching doctors' offices in August and will continue to arrive during the coming weeks.
Last year, the flu shot was a bit off target — a good match for only about 40 percent of flu viruses. Typically, a flu virus is effective for 70 percent to 90 percent of viruses, according to the CDC.
But even when the vaccine is a mismatch, doctors say the vaccine can prevent hospitalizations and deaths from flu-related illnesses.
Randi Meyer is getting an early start on getting flu vaccines for the family. She recently had her 9-month-old baby, Abbi, get a flu shot, and she plans to have her two older kids soon get the nasal mist spray. In the past, she's had to wait because her doctor's office was temporarily out of supply.
"We want to keep (the flu bug) out of the house," she said.
Alex Koutsos had his 3-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, get the nasal-spray vaccine this week during a wellness checkup.
"It was good to get it out of the way," he said.
When to get vaccinated
Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September, or as soon as vaccine is available, and continue throughout the influenza season into January, even February.
Who should get vaccinated?
— Children age 6 months up to their 19th birthday
— Pregnant women
— People 50 and older
— People who live or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including health care workers
About the flu vaccine
Each vaccine contains three influenza viruses. The viruses change each year based on international surveillance and scientists' estimations about which types and strains of viruses will circulate in a given year. About two weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against virus infection develop in the body.
Source: CDC
Helena Oliviero writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: holiviero AT ajc.com.