It’s that time of year again— time to get your annual flu shot. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a seasonal flu vaccine, especially senior citizens. Why? Because seniors (people aged 65 and older) have an elevated risk of developing more serious forms of the flu with severe complications.

The flu causes more than 200,000 people to be hospitalized each year and is fatal for about 24,000 people. Sadly, 90 percent of those fatalities are senior citizens. Seniors can avoid becoming a victim of the flu by receiving one of these vaccines, one especially made for seniors. Talk to your physician and find out which choice would be best for you or someone that you provide senior care to.

Standard (trivalent) flu vaccine

As the name implies, this flu shot is one that’s been around for more than 30 years. It provides protection against three common influenza strains.

Quadrivalent flu vaccine

“Quad” means four, so this particular flu vaccine gives protection against four types of influenza strains. They are the same three as in the standard (above) flu shot, plus  one more B strain.

Hi-dose flu vaccine

Developed specifically for senior citizens, this hi-dose flu vaccine, also known as the Fluzone High-Dose, delivers four times the quantity of antigen than a regular flu shot. According to the CDC, the extra antigen dose makes immune response stronger and offers better protection against the flu. Keep in mind that the high dose of antigen can bring unpleasant side effects, including headache, fever and muscle aches.

Intradermal flu vaccine

If you’re 64 years old or younger and hate needles, this intradermal flu shot is a great option. It employs a very small 1/16 inch long needle known as a micro-needle. This type of needle injects the vaccine just under the surface of the skin, instead of going deeper into the muscle like the other types of flu vaccines.

You may wonder why the flu mist treatment that you’ve heard about isn’t listed  here. This type of flu prevention method is recommended only for people aged 2 to 49 years.

Consider the pneumonia vaccine, too

The CDC also encourages seniors to receive a pneumococcal vaccine around the same time of year that the flu shot is recommended. About 900,000 people in the U.S. catch pneumococcal pneumonia every year, and around 5,000 die from it. The CDC suggests that seniors 65 years and older receive two pneumonia vaccines, known as the Prevnar 13 and the Pneumovax 23. Speak to your doctor and find out what vaccines you need to keep you healthy and vigorous.