Emergency department staff at Baptist Health Hamburg in Lexington are seeing flu-like illness earlier than usual this fall, and Kentucky flu cases are running higher than at this point last year, WKYT reported on Oct. 19. "We are starting to see symptoms a little bit earlier this year, which is unusual," said Whitney Abbott, a physician assistant in the emergency department.
For families, the timing creates a practical deadline. A flu shot takes about two weeks to build protection, so a vaccine given this week would not reach full effect until early November, as fall gatherings and the holiday travel season approach. Some young children need two doses spaced at least four weeks apart, which means starting now.
