Flu season is here, and the virus is surging unusually early in parts of the United States. Last year, at least 32 million Americans got influenza, leading to almost 400,000 hospitalizations and at least 24,000 deaths.
Getting the flu vaccine reduces the risk of serious infection — and it may also protect against longer-term consequences for the brain.
In some people, “long flu” persists for months following infection and may lead to symptoms such as cognitive impairment and memory problems. In addition, severe infections, including flu, herpes and respiratory tract infections, are associated with increased brain atrophy and dementia risk years later.
But research has shown that the flu vaccine is linked to a lower risk of dementia.
In a large 2022 study, researchers analyzed health records of 1.8 million adults ages 65 and older, and found that those who received at least one flu vaccine were 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in the following four years. A 2025 meta-analysis of eight studies reported that people already at higher risk for dementia had greater benefits with more flu shots: Two or three doses reduced dementia risk by 16 percent, while more than four reduced the risk by 57 percent.
Other vaccines, including for shingles, RSV and Tdap, are also linked to reduced dementia risk.
The post Here’s how much a flu vaccine may lower your dementia risk appeared first on Washington Post.
