40 DIY HOW TO Flu-Proof Your Life IT'S STILL IMPORTANT TO TRY TO PREVENT THIS ANNUAL THREAT BY JOSH JARMANNING FALL 2020 VIM & VIGOR PHOTO PHOTO BY STOCKSY CREDIT This year's new coronavirus has rightfully been most people's primary concern when it comes to infectious diseases. But it's important to remember that we're heading back into flu season, and the flu can also cause serious illness and even death. "Nobody wants to give or receive this terrible gift during the holidays," says William Schaffner, MD, a professor of preventive medicine and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. "That's why it's absolutely necessary to get your flu shot." Schaffner says that while most people know they should get a flu shot to keep themselves healthy during the monthslong winter influenza season, fewer understand the many benefits the vaccine confers-perhaps that's why just 45 percent of adults got the flu shot for the 2018-19 season, the most recent figures available. People who get vaccinated yet still contract the flu often have much less severe symptoms, recover more