William Randolph Hearst's mother Phoebe, President Benjamin Harrison, and CIA Director Allen Dulles all died from the flu. And they’re just a few — the list of famous flu fatalities goes on and on.

Yet the ravages of influenza are often ignored. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 2010 and 2020, the flu killed 12,000 to 52,000 Americans annually. Around 75% to 80% of those who die from the flu are 65 or older.

The CDC says this flu season, only around 65% of seniors and 57% of all eligible Americans will have gotten their flu shot. That's a shame.

The benefits of vaccination are cumulative. Getting a shot year after year helps protect you from influenza even in years when the flu produces mutations that aren't covered by that year's shot. And when you do get infected, the vaccine protects you from hospitalization and death.

One study found that repeating the vaccination yearly is 74% effective for preventing intensive care unit admissions and 70% effective for preventing deaths.

Vaccination also helps avert heart attack, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and dementia, which can develop as a result of the increased inflammation throughout your body that happens if you contract the flu and are unvaccinated.

The chance that the flu vaccine will provide a benefit compared to the chance that it will cause a serious problem is more than 1,000 to 1. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone (without contraindications) ages 6 months or older.

Check out VaccineFinder (www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines) to find a location near you.