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Many New Yorkers die from flu-related deaths each year, which is why health officials are asking people to have their flu shot now while the virus has not yet peaked. Facing the needle is not just tantamount in safeguarding your health, but also in preventing the spread of the infection especially to the more susceptible members of society, young children and the elderly.

Influenza and pneumonia are the leading cause of death compared to any other infection in New York. It claimed the lives of 2,220 people in 2014, prompting city officials to launch a public awareness program on the importance of a flu shot, the New York Daily reported.

Young children under 5 years old and the elderly, 65 years old and above are the most vulnerable group. Healthy robust people may also get infected as the flu virus changes every season.

There is a 5 to 20 percent probability that a person can get infected. Hence, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people, from 6 months of age and onwards, need to get a flu shot.

The flu season starts as early as October, the best time to get a flu shot, and peaks by January to March.

However, an online survey conducted by cityMD, discovered that only 48 percent of millennials plan to get a flu shot according to the report on the New York Times. The survey indicates that millennials, people born from 1982 to 2002, are often skeptical about the need for a flu shot.

Joseph Bresee of CDC rebuts every excuse in an attempt to explain the importance of the Influenza vaccine and encourage young people to get one. CDC attests that flu shots do not give you the flu.

Modern flu vaccines have greatly reduced the bad side effects like headache, muscle sores and general nausea. For those scared of needles, intradermal shots are administered using miniscule needles that can hardly be felt by the skin.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of them all is that you will not spread the infection while giving your body a good 50 to 60 percent protection from getting the flu.