SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois health officials say it's time for people to start getting their annual flu shots.
 
The Public Health Department says virtually everyone should get a vaccination every year to guard against new strains of the flu. The exceptions are babies under 6 months old and people who are allergic to the vaccine.
 
Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck says vaccinations protect the people getting them and also vulnerable people who might suffer from a flu outbreak, such as the elderly or pregnant women.
 
Annual flu deaths range from 3,000 up to 49,000. Hasbrouck also said Wednesday that it's a myth that people can get the flu from a vaccination.