Annual flu shots may not be a tradition many people look forward to, but such vaccinations are highly effective at reducing the risk of influenza-related illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that recent studies have indicated flu shots reduce the risk of flu-related illness by as much as 60 percent. In fact, the CDC estimates that flu vaccinations during the 2019-20 flu season prevented roughly 7.5 million flu illnesses and more than 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations. _TF23C510