Every flu season, I think back to the young teacher I cared for as a nurse in the intensive care unit years ago. He was just 28 years old, healthy, with no underlying conditions. At first, he had a simple cough and runny nose — symptoms he likely picked up from a student. But by the time he arrived at the hospital, he was on the verge of collapse, gasping for breath.

I can still hear the frantic beeps of the monitors as we rushed to stabilize him, trying to restore oxygen to his failing organs. Soon, he was on a ventilator, sedated and receiving multiple medications to keep his body functioning. Despite our relentless efforts for weeks in the ICU, we couldn’t save him.

Sadly, his death may have been preventable — he had not received his flu shot.

I was 27 years old then, and I’d always considered the flu a manageable annoyance that could sideline you for a few days.

But since witnessing that teacher’s deathly struggle 15 years ago, I’ve made it a point to get my flu shot every year. I urge my family and friends to do the same.

I know that many people think of the flu as old news and dismiss it as a minor seasonal nuisance. It’s easy to overlook how many people it can kill (the pandemic from 1957-58 claimed 1.1 million lives worldwide). While not every flu strain is that deadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that last season’s flu hit at least 34 million Americans, sent at least 380,000 to the hospital and may have killed as many as 100,000.

Older adults are especially vulnerable. During the 2022—23 flu season, adults aged 65 and older accounted for nearly 72% of all flu-related deaths.

Despite these dangers, flu vaccine coverage remains low. A survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that only 38% of adults were interested in getting the flu shot.

Many people mistakenly believe that only high-risk groups, like older adults, pregnant women, children under five and people with chronic conditions, need to worry about the flu. But the truth is that the virus can strike anyone, even healthy individuals — as I saw firsthand with that young teacher.

There’s also a belief that because someone hasn’t gotten sick with the flu, they won’t get sick in the future. But the flu virus mutates, and each season it can vary in severity. It’s most severe during fall and winter, peaking between December and February.

Right now, flu season is upon us. Many local health departments and community organizations offer free or low-cost flu vaccines. Medicare and most insurance plans also cover the flu shot at no cost.

Though the flu vaccine may not prevent every case, it remains the best defense against the virus. In general, it reduces the risk of illness by 40%-60%. Even in years when the vaccines didn’t perfectly match that season’s flu strains, the flu shot can still help people fight off the illness and stay out of the hospital.

Don’t wait. Get your flu shot right now — not just for yourself, but for the people you love. By doing so, you’ll help protect your family, friends and community, especially those most vulnerable, like the elderly and infants, who rely on our collective immunity.

As a new mother of a four-month-old baby, he won’t be old enough for a flu shot until he’s six months old. When you get your shot, I’ll be especially thankful.

Anna Dermenchyan is a quality officer at UCLA Health, where she leads initiatives to enhance patient care for diverse populations in Los Angeles. She is also a health policy and media fellow at the George Washington Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement.