By Michael Roizen, M.D., And Mehmet Oz, M.D.

The flu vaccine - what's new and news

Here we go again, the YOU Docs are talking about the importance of your annual flu vaccination. But wait! It's not the same old, same old. There's something new: If you or your child is between the ages of 5 and 49, DON'T get the live attenuated influenza nasal spray vaccine! It's ineffective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that the nasal spray (FluMist) just doesn't prime the immune system like it should to defeat the flu virus. Ya gotta stick with the stick.

This year's recommended vaccines include: a trivalent dose, protective against three influenza strains, for folks 3 and older, with a high-dose version for folks 65 and up; a quadrivalent dose that protects against four strains (different versions are for anyone 6 months or older); and a recombinant vaccine for folks 18 and up. All influenza vaccines are around 63 to 65 percent effective at preventing the flu, and though you're not totally protected, if you do get the flu, you'll get a milder case.

Annually, about 235,000 people get hospitalized (20,000 are kids) because of the flu. And though yearly death rates vary, recently they've been as high as 49,000. Those most at risk from the flu are older adults, young children, pregnant women (the vaccine also protects the yet-to-be-born for the first six months of life) and anyone with a compromised immune system.

Bonus: 50 or older? Getting a flu vaccine annually decreases your risk of an early death FROM ANY CAUSE by over 25 percent, because you'll have much less inflammation in your body.

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