MILWAUKEE -- Experts say you can't predict how a flu season will turn out.    Every season is different.  That's because the flu is always changing - there are new strands of it each year.  Timing is unpredictable too.  Most of time we'd be talking about this in December or January but the flu has started in October before.

 

The CDC says people should get vaccinated as soon as possible.  The ideal time is October or even earlier.   You might have seen signs at local pharmacies advertising for the flu shot.  That's because it's almost that time of year.  The Milwaukee Health Department agrees saying people should start thinking about the flu shot now.



\"It's better to get it early because you're getting the shot before the influenza virus is circulating in the community,\" Marisa Stanley from the Milwaukee Health Department said. \"So really it's the earlier the better. You will get that immunity built up before you're even exposed to the virus.\"



The Health department says it's better to get the flu shot because it helps protect you. But it also protects others since you're less likely to contract it and then pass it to someone else.

The CDC is also recommending children between 2 and 8 get vaccinated using a nasal spray. According to a press release from UW Health, pediatrician Dr. Caroline Paul said, \"Studies have shown that the nasal flu spray is much more effective than the flu shot for children 2 to 8.  It’s as much as 50 percent more effective than the shot for this particular age group.”

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says there should not be a shortage on vaccine this year.