BuzzFeedNews: “It’s officially fall in the US, which means it’s time for cozy sweaters, pumpkin-flavored everything, and…your seasonal influenza vaccine. Given that last year’s flu season was one of the deadliest in the last 40 years — an estimated 80,000 people died, including 180 children — it’s important to get a flu shot as soon as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone who is 6 months or older get vaccinated by the end of October. And this year, it doesn’t even necessarily have to be a shot. The nasal spray vaccine is back this flu season — so, needle-phobes, rejoice. Keep in mind that the flu shot isn’t perfect. Even if you get vaccinated, you can still get the flu. But your symptoms should be less severe, and you are less likely to be hospitalized or die of the flu. To answer all of your flu shot questions, we spoke with Dr. Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, Maryland, and included advice from a panel of public health experts at the 2018 CDC and National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) flu vaccination conference…”