Health officials say now is the time for you and your family to get the flu shot.

Activity usually starts increasing around this time of year.

That’s why doctors recommend getting vaccinated before the end of October if possible.

After getting the shot it can take a few weeks to build immunity.

The CDC recommends the vaccine for anyone more than six months old.

Doctor Elissa Rubin from Happy and Healthy Pediatrics in New York says it’s a common misconception that the shot can give you the flu.

“It is impossible. It is a dead part of a virus in the vaccine and it cannot cause any illness. The most common side effects we do see is feeling run down for a day after getting the vaccine because your body is building immunity.”

Health officials say the flu is serious, and getting the vaccine can prevent illness and can also reduce the chances of being hospitalized with complications of the flu.

Last flu season as many as 43 million people got sick, 650,000 people were hospitalized and 61,000 died.