Flu & People with Asthma

Asthma is a lung disease that is caused by chronic inflammation (swelling) of the airways. It is one of the most common long-term diseases among children, but adults can have asthma, too. Asthma attacks occur when the lung airways become swollen and tighten due to airway inflammation. Asthma attacks can be caused by “triggers” such as airway infections, allergy particles, chemical irritants, and air pollution. During an asthma attack, a person with asthma can experience symptoms such as wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Often, asthma attacks can be prevented by limiting one’s exposure to triggers and by properly using asthma medications.More

A Flu Shot is the Best Protection Against Flu

Flu vaccination is especially important for people with asthma because they are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications. Flu vaccines are reviewed each year and updated as needed to keep up with changing viruses. Also, protection from vaccination decreases over time, so annual flu vaccination is needed to ensure the best possible protection against flu. A flu vaccine protects against the four flu viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Flu vaccines have been updated for the 2022-2023 season.  More information on why flu vaccines are updated annually is available at Vaccine Virus Selection.

Immunity from flu vaccination sets in after about two weeks after getting vaccinated. In addition to reducing risk of flu, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu:

  • Flu vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of getting sick with flu as well as reduce the risk of having a serious flu outcome like a stay in the hospital or even being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
  • More information is available at What are the benefits of flu vaccination? | CDC.

CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a seasonal flu vaccine each year, ideally by the end of October.