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Vaccine Preventable Disease Control
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program
3530 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: (213) 351-7800
Email: ip@ph.lacounty.gov
Flu spreads when a sick person cough, sneezes, talks or breathes, especially in closed indoor areas. Although less common, flu can also spread by touching things that have the virus on it (like a table, doorknob or phone) and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. The flu spreads mostly in the fall and winter months in the United States but can also spread into spring.
Who SHOULD get the vaccine:
Who should NOT get the vaccine:
If you have insurance:
If you are uninsured or underinsured:
Locating Vaccine Clinics:
If you are unsure of your flu vaccination status, you can request a copy of your records.
To request your record:
If your vaccines are not listed, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or vaccine provider for a copy of your vaccine records. You can also ask them to add your vaccines to the California Immunization Registry (CAIR).
Other tips to find your records:
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
California Department of Public Health:
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
Clinical presentation can include sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, extreme tiredness, muscle and joint aches, vomiting and diarrhea. Children younger than 5 years old, especially those younger than 2, older adults 65 years and older, and persons with chronic illness including asthma are at higher risk for serious illness from flu.
The cough can be severe and can last 2 weeks or more.
Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. However, influenza can cause severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk.
Influenza can worsen symptoms of other chronic diseases. In severe cases influenza can lead to pneumonia and sepsis. People with other medical issues or who have severe symptoms should seek medical care.
For details on other reportable diseases and conditions, use the search tool on the Reportable Diseases and Conditions webpage.
Click here for more information on reporting a Vaccine Adverse Event.
Four types of influenza vaccines are licensed and currently available in the United States.
A full list of 2026-2027 Influenza vaccines and dosage information can be found here.
The California Department of Public Health recommends everyone 6 months and older receive an annual influenza (flu) vaccine.
It’s especially important to vaccinate people at increased risk for severe flu complications and who are in close contact with other with risk factors. This includes:
High-risk age groups:
High-risk medical conditions:
High-risk settings:
Children aged 6 months through 8 years may need an additional dose of flu vaccine depending on their previous vaccination history.
The following enhanced flu vaccines are recommended for adults aged ≥65 years: :
However, if none of these preferentially recommended vaccines are available at the time of the visit, administer any age–appropriate flu vaccine instead.
Organ transplant recipients aged 18 – 64 years taking immunosuppressive medications may receive high – dose flu (Fluzone) or adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (Fluad). These vaccines are not preferred over other age-appropriate flu vaccines but are acceptable options for this population.
Flu vaccines are safe and effective in reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from flu. However, they may not always prevent infection. Additional information and vaccine effectiveness studies can be found on Seasonal Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Studies webpage.
Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) can be given to healthy people aged 2 – 49 years. LAIV is not recommended for some groups, such as people who are pregnant and people with certain medical conditions.
Click here for contraindications and precautions to influenza vaccine.
Administration Data: California healthcare providers are required to report data on all valid immunizations that they administer to their patients into the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) within 2 weeks of administration per AB 1797.
Administration Errors: Healthcare providers are strongly recommended to report all vaccine administration errors to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
Adverse Events: Healthcare providers are required to report any adverse event on the reportable events list to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) per HR 5546.
Storage and Handling: For general recommendations and guidance access the Vaccine Storage and Handling Job Aids.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
California Department of Public Health:
Immunize.org:
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
