Who should get the flu shot?

High-risk adults who should get the flu vaccine include:

• everyone 65 years of age or older
• those who have chronic lung or heart disorders
• those who were, in the past year, hospitalized for chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, severe anemia, or immune deficiency  
• pregnant women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season
• pregnant women who have medical conditions that increase their risk for complications, regardless of the stage of pregnancy
• residents of nursing homes and other facilities that care for people with chronic medical conditions
• police, fire fighters, and other public safety workers
• those who are planning to travel to the tropics at any time or to the Southern Hemisphere, especially if the trip is scheduled from April through September
• those who have a kidney disease
• those who have anemia or hemoglobinopathy

Contraindications for vaccination

The flu vaccine is contraindicated with several conditions.. The most common groups of people who shoudn’t get the flu shot are:

• anyone who's severely allergic to eggs and egg products. This is because the ingredients for flu shots are actually grown inside eggs.
• infants under 6 months old
• anyone who's ever had a severe reaction to a flu vaccination
• anyone who has Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare medical condition that affects the immune system and nerves. It is proven that the vaccine can cause several complications in people with GBS
• anyone who's sick with a fever