Doctors encourage Houstonians to get flu shots

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thanksgiving dinner is a time for food, family, and togetherness. But when you ask for a side of potatoes, what are you really getting?

"If you get sick, the people around you get sick," said Ruth Ann Wofford, who just got her flu shot. "It's just the wrong time of the year to be sick."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 9 percent of people in our region of the country have already gotten the flu this year.

Peak season starts in December. So, if you're not vaccinated yet, you better hurry.

"It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take its full protective effect on your immune system," said Dr. Samuel Prater, with Memorial Hermann-TCU/UTHealth.

Here in Texas, we've talked about a lot of viruses this year, like Ebola, Chikingunya, even Enteroviruses. But it's the flu that kills about 20,000 Americans every year, hitting those with impaired immune systems the hardest.

"Diabetics, anyone with heart and lung conditions," Dr. Prater explained. "People over 65 and the very young, younger than six months."