The single best way to reduce the risk of seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like avoiding people who are sick, covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like flu. There also are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent flu
​
The tips and resources below will help you learn about actions you can take to protect yourself and others from flu and help stop the spread of germs.

1. 1. Avoid close contact.
      Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
   2. Stay home when you are sick.
      If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
   3. Cover your mouth and nose.
      Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.
   4. Clean your hands.
      Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
      • Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
        Tips on hand washing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers
   5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
      Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
   6. Practice other good health habits.
      Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

​Nirsevimab (Beyfortus) is an immunization recommended for all infants younger than 8 months of age who are born during—or who are entering—their first Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) season. Except in rare circumstances, most infants younger than 8 months of age do not need nirsevimab if they were born 14 or more days after their mother got RSV vaccine. Nirsevimab is also recommended for some children age 8 through 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease and entering their second RSV season.

When is RSV season?
In most regions of the United States, RSV season starts in the fall and peaks in the winter, but the timing and severity of RSV season can vary from place to place and year to year. Talk to your child’s health care provider about when is the right time for your child to get nirsevimab based on the RSV season in your community, so that your child is protected against RSV disease.

How can RSV disease be prevented?
RSV disease can be prevented either by giving antibody products to infants and young children, or by giving their mothers RSV vaccine during pregnancy. For most babies, either the maternal RSV vaccine or the preventive antibody is recommended to prevent RSV disease, but not both.

RSV preventive antibody products

There are two RSV antibody products that can help prevent severe RSV disease in infants and young children: Nirsevimab (Beyfortus), and Palivizumab (Synagis).

Nirsevimab is recommended for:

All infants younger than 8 months of age born during RSV season or entering their first RSV season. Except in rare circumstances, most infants younger than 8 months of age do not need nirsevimab if they were born 14 or more days after their mother got RSV vaccine.
Some children aged 8 through 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease and entering their second RSV season.
Palivizumab (Synagis) use is limited to:

Some children younger than age 24 months of age with certain conditions that place them at increased risk for severe RSV disease. It must be given once a month during RSV season.
RSV vaccine

An RSV vaccine (Abrysvo, Pfizer) is recommended during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy to prevent severe RSV disease in infants. This vaccine should typically be given September through January.

Who should get nirsevimab?
Nirsevimab is recommended for infants younger than 8 months of age who were born during or are entering their first RSV season if
The mother did not receive RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
The mother’s RSV vaccination status is unknown.
The infant was born within 14 days of maternal RSV vaccination.
Most infants whose mothers got the RSV vaccine don’t need to get nirsevimab, too.

Some infants and young children 8 through 19 months of age who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease should receive nirsevimab shortly before the start of their second RSV season:
Children who were born prematurely and have chronic lung disease
Children with severe immunocompromise
Children with cystic fibrosis who have severe disease
American Indian and Alaska Native children
Children who should get nirsevimab but have not yet done so may get nirsevimab at any time during RSV season.

How is nirsevimab administered?
Nirsevimab is administered as a shot into the thigh muscle. Only a single dose (i.e., one shot) of nirsevimab is recommended during an RSV season.

Who should not get nirsevimab?
Children 8 months old and older who are not at increased risk for severe RSV disease  should not receive nirsevimab.

Except in rare circumstances, most infants younger than age 8 months do not need to get nirsevimab if their mothers got the RSV vaccine at least 14 days before delivery.

Infants and children with a history of serious allergic reactions to nirsevimab or any of its components should not get nirsevimab.

Infants and children with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia should get nirsevimab. But, as with all shots given into a muscle, parents should notify their child’s healthcare provider so additional precautions can be taken. 

Infants and children who have a moderate or severe acute illness usually should wait until they recover before getting nirsevimab. Your child’s healthcare provider may decide to postpone giving nirsevimab until a future visit when your child feels better.  Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, can receive nirsevimab.

How well does nirsevimab work?
Nirsevimab reduces the risk of severe RSV disease by about 80%. One dose of nirsevimab protects infants for at least 5 months, the length of an average RSV season. Because nirsevimab does not activate the immune system, protection is most effective in the weeks right after nirsevimab is given and lessens over time. Nirsevimab does not provide long-term protection to RSV disease, but it does protect infants when they are most at risk of getting very sick from RSV. As children get older, they are less likely to get very sick from RSV.

How does nirsevimab prevent RSV disease?
Nirsevimab contains monoclonal antibodies, which are man-made proteins that protect against RSV. Though it does not activate the immune system the way an infection or vaccine would, a nirsevimab shot provides protection similar to that of a vaccine.

The protection that nirsevimab provides is called “passive immunity” because it does not come from the person’s own immune system. Instead, the protection comes from antibodies produced outside a person’s body.

On the other hand, the protection that vaccines provide is called “active immunity” because the antibodies are made by a person’s own immune system. “Active immunity” requires a person’s immune system to take action to defend itself.

What are the possible side effects of nirsevimab?
Side effects after Nirsevimab were uncommon in clinical trials. The most common side effects after nirsevimab are pain, redness, or swelling where the injection was given, and a rash. No serious allergic reactions occurred in the clinical trials.

As with any immunization, there is a very remote chance that nirsevimab could cause a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death.

If you have any questions about side effects from nirsevimab, talk with your child’s health care provider.

If your child experienced side effects after receiving nirsevimab it can be reported to the FDA or CDC. Your healthcare provider might file the report, or you can do it yourself by phone or through the MedWatch or VAERS websites. them

Report side effects that happen after getting nirsevimab to the MedWatch website or by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.
If your child also received any vaccine on the same day as nirsevimab, the side effects also may be reported to VAERS, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System through the VAERS website or by calling 1-800-822-7967.
How Do I Pay for Nirsevimab?
Vaccines for Children (VFC) program
Nirsevimab will be covered by VFC, a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay. Children younger than 19 years of age are eligible for the VFC Program if they belong to one or more of the following groups:

Medicaid-eligible
Uninsured
Underinsured
American Indian or Alaska Native 
Private health insurance. Many private health insurance plans cover nirsevimab, but there may be a cost to you depending on your plan. Contact your insurer to find out.

Last Reviewed: September 28, 2023
Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

​​CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter. Updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be available later this week.

Vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death. Vaccination also reduces your chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration. If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, get an updated COVID-19 vaccine  to protect yourself this fall and winter.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine can restore protection and provide enhanced protection against the variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. Last season, those who received a 2022-2023 COVID-19 vaccine saw greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not receive a 2022-2023 vaccine. To date, hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.

Most Americans can still get a COVID-19 vaccine for free. For people with health insurance, most plans will cover COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you. People who don’t have health insurance or with health plans that do not cover the cost can get a free vaccine from their local health centers; state, local, tribal, or territorial health department; and pharmacies participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program. Children eligible for the Vaccines for Children program also may receive the vaccine from a provider enrolled in that program.

“We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19,” said Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. “CDC is now recommending updated COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older to better protect you and your loved ones.”

This is the first fall and winter virus season where vaccines are available for the three viruses responsible for most hospitalizations – COVID-19, RSV, and flu. In addition to safe, updated COVID-19 vaccines, at-home tests for the virus can identify infection so you can protect your family, coworkers, and the general public. If you do get sick, talk to your doctor about proven, effective treatments that can reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

For more information on updated COVID-19 vaccines visit: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC