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Most schools do not offer flu shots, but many encourage or require kids to get their annual one this fall. Families should contact their health-care providers or local clinics to get immunized.

EDITORS’ NOTE: The Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends universal annual influenza vaccination, which includes all people ages 6 months and older. Because seasonal flu viruses change every year, the vaccine is updated annually. So even if you or your children got a flu vaccine last year, you both still need to get a flu shot this season to remain protected.

The flu vaccine will become widely available in early September. Doctors’ offices, clinics and many retail pharmacies and supermarkets offer flu shots; call to make an appointment. To find an exact date, time and location for an appointment at a flu clinic near you, you can use the Flu Vaccine Finder Web tool on Flu.gov, a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Or ask the pharmacist at your preferred retailer about the dates for its flu-shot programs.