Theres a change in flu shot guidance for some adults this year: What you need to know – AL.com

For many people, one flu vaccine is as good as another. New this year, however, is guidance for specific types of vaccines for those ages 65 and older.

For people 6 months to 65 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said you can use any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine. The options include inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV), recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV), or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), with no preference for any flu vaccine over another.

READ MORE: Why some children need 2 flu shots this year

For people 65 and older, however, there are three flu vaccines the CDC is recommending over the standard dose unajuvanated versions. Those vaccines are Fluzone High-DoseQuadrivalent vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinantflu vaccine and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine. Quadrivalent vaccines contain four different strains of the influenza virus, an effort to better combat the versions expected to circulate this year.

These vaccines are made with an egg-based adjuvant, an ingredient that helps create a stronger immune system. According to the CDC, studies suggest that adjuvanted flu vaccines are potentially more effective for the 65 and older age group. If none of those are available, however, any age-appropriate vaccine is recommended over none at all.

Its recommended everyone 6 months and older in the U.S. with rare exceptions receive a flu vaccine. The best time to get the vaccine is before the end of October as it takes up to two weeks for it to become fully effective.

You can see more on the flu vaccine here.

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Theres a change in flu shot guidance for some adults this year: What you need to know - AL.com