--- title: Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains | TIME description: If you think it's one and done like a measles vaccine, think again. The flu virus is ever-changing and mutating. So this year health experts created new vaccines that can protect you from upto 4 of the latest strains. canonical: https://time.com/video/jxdi6F8H/ og:title: Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains og:description: If you think it's one and done like a measles vaccine, think again. The flu virus is ever-changing and mutating. So this year health experts created new vaccines that can protect you from upto 4 of the latest strains. og:url: https://time.com/video/jxdi6F8H/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/jxdi6F8H/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains twitter:description: If you think it's one and done like a measles vaccine, think again. The flu virus is ever-changing and mutating. So this year health experts created new vaccines that can protect you from upto 4 of the latest strains. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/jxdi6F8H/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains [Watch (HLS stream): Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jxdi6F8H.m3u8) (2:20)  _Published 2013-11-04. If you think it's one and done like a measles vaccine, think again. The flu virus is ever-changing and mutating. So this year health experts created new vaccines that can protect you from upto 4 of the latest strains._ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:54 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Why The CDC Just Declared A Flu Epidemic](/video/RhEMPzfx/) ### Why The CDC Just Declared A Flu Epidemic [TIME Explains: How the Flu Spreads](/video/2Kg50Wb1/) ### TIME Explains: How the Flu Spreads [One More Reason to Get the Flu Shot: Your Heart](/video/HUvLsYCu/) ### One More Reason to Get the Flu Shot: Your Heart --- ## Transcript It's time for your annual flu shot. But will the vaccine protect you? Here's what you need to know. It's flu season which means it's time for your annual flu shot. So, the question always is: Why do we need to get a shot every year? Why isn't the influenza vaccine more like measles or rubella or polio, where it's one undone and you're protected for years if not for life? Well, you can blame the influenza virus for that. It has gotten so good at mutating to bypass the effects of the vaccine that we have to get rearmed against whatever circulating that season each year. So, every spring, officials at the World Health Organization convene influenza experts and they decide which strains of the virus should be included in the upcoming season's vaccine. They do their best to look at which strains are emerging in people who are starting to get sick with flu but it's a guess. It's and educating yes, but it's still a guess. So, why did they make this decision so early? Nearly nine months before the first sneezes and cough start? Influenza viruses are grown on chicken eggs and in order to grow enough virus to fill those vaccines, it takes several months. This year, when you go to the doctor, you'll have far more choices than you've had before. You could still get the traditional flu shot which contains three different influenza strains and kids who are afraid of needles can get the nasal spray. And for adults who are needle- phobic, there's also a micro needle version, which contains a smaller needle that gives a little less painful job. And for the first time this year, there's also an influenza vaccine that protects against four different flu strains. So, it gives you a little more protection once the season starts. And the elderly can also get a little extra dose from a high dose vaccine that protects their weaker immune systems and gives them a little bit of a boost. For those who are allergic to eggs, there's also a cell- based flu vaccine that allows them to get vaccinated against influenza for the first time. So, given all this choice, there should be something for everyone. But as for universal flu vaccine, they're still working on that one. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Why Do I Need a Flu Shot? TIME Explains","description":"If you think it's one and done like a measles vaccine, think again. The flu virus is ever-changing and mutating. 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