If you missed the early fall push for flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it’s not too late.

Health officials say it’s important to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays, when respiratory bugs tend to spread with travel and indoor celebrations.

Those viruses haven’t caused much trouble so far this fall. But COVID-19 tends to jump in the winter months, a rise that usually starts around Thanksgiving and peaks in January.

And that coincides with flu season, which tends to start in November or December and peak in January or February.

Read more at AP.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for most adults up to age 45 who were not vaccinated as adolescents.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, the adult HPV vaccination schedule is as follows:

• The second dose is given 1 to 2 months after the first dose.
• The third dose is given 6 months after the first dose.

While the vaccine is most effective when administered before exposure to HPV (typically during adolescence), it can still offer protection for adults against certain HPV strains that lead to genital warts and cancers.

Read more at Healthline.

It’s vaccination season, which for most people means getting immunized for flu and COVID-19 (and RSV for infants, pregnant women, or people 75 and older).

Public-health officials have said before that getting the two shots at the same time is safe, but some people have remained worried about receiving both vaccines together. Now, a new study confirms that safety. In what the researchers say is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial analyzing the side effects of the co-administration of the vaccines in the U.S., they found no difference among people who received the COVID-19 and flu shots simultaneously in different arms and those who got the shots spaced apart by a week or two.

Read more at Time.

More than five times as many pertussis cases had been reported as of mid-October compared with the same time last year, according to provisional numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is characterized by persistent, chronic fits of coughing followed by a “whoop” sound, and is sometimes called the “100-day cough.”

Read more at The Washington Post.

We often focus on the immunization schedule for infants and small children. However, adults also benefit from rolling up their sleeves—sometimes annually.

“Some viruses are very stable over time and don’t change,” says Dr. Linda Yancey, MD, an infectious disease specialist with Memorial Hermann. “This is why the hepatitis B vaccine series is only needed once in a lifetime. Other viruses change rapidly over time so we need updated vaccines on a more regular basis.”

Read more at Parade.

Heading into the thick of flu and COVID season, there have been some recent changes to vaccine recommendations for people over age 50.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently lowered the age for pneumonia vaccinations by 15 years.

Instead of recommending the pneumococcal vaccine for those 65 and over, the shot is now suggested starting at age 50.

“Everyone over 50 should be thinking about vaccines, because as we age, our immune system can become more vulnerable,” Dr. Susannah Hills, surgeon and assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, told Fox News Digital.

Read more at Fox News.

Seasonal flu may not just peak with fever, cough and a sore throat. Many people, especially seniors and younger children, land in the hospital with severe illness, according to a new study.

More than 100,000 people are hospitalized and 4,900 people die from flu complications annually in the U.S. Vaccines, which target last year’s dominant flu strains, can help you avert serious illness or death.

The study published Tuesday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed the risks seasonal flu still poses, especially to people who haven’t been vaccinated.

Read more at USA Today.

As cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have risen in Colorado and across the country, officials at Routt County Public Health are working with medical providers to remind staff and patients of the signs and symptoms of this highly infectious respiratory illness.

County health officials also are reminding medical staff to report positive and suspected cases of whooping cough.

Dr. Brian Harrington, medical director for Routt County Public Health, noted that pertussis can be life-threatening for infants due to their lack of immunity and small airways.

Read more at Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Are you nearing (or over) 50? If so, chances are you’ve heard about the shingles vaccine. You might be trying to decide if it’s worth getting—and wondering how long protection from the shot lasts. Understanding more about the vaccine’s effectiveness, and its benefits, can help you make an informed decision about your health, in partnership with your health care provider.

What is shingles?

Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistery rash that develops when the varicella-zoster virus—the same virus that causes chickenpox—reactivates in your body. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in your nerve tissue and can reactivate later in life, causing a shingles episode. The infamous shingles rash often resembles a single “stripe” of blisters that often wraps around the left or right side of the torso. Shingles can affect other parts of the body including the head and face.

Read more at National Council on Aging.

Cases of whooping cough are on the rise across the U.S. and in Colorado, including Jefferson and El Paso counties.

Students at Cheyenne Mountain High School were given a detailed letter in October about how the school is investigating a case of the disease. Earlier in the month, Jefferson County Public Health issued a warning to residents about the highly contagious disease.

The local health departments aren’t alone: In July, the Centers for Disease Control issued a warning that whooping cough was returning to pre-pandemic levels. This is concerning health officials because, in recent years, there have been as few as 2,116 reported cases of whooping cough across the U.S.

Read more at Fox 31.