The Tennessee Department of Health is offering everyone over the age of six months the opportunity to receive this year’s flu vaccine. Flu vaccinations will be free on Tuesday. Oct. 20, 2026, at all local health departments in the state for Fight Flu TN ’26.
The flu vaccine is safe and effective and can protect against the most common types of flu, and the virus’s worst symptoms and outcomes. Nationally, flu vaccination is estimated to have prevented about 10 million flu illnesses, 5 million medical visits, 180,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths during the 2024 – 2025 influenza season.
Pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and those with chronic medical conditions are at the highest risk of getting the flu and facing its severe complications. Flu symptoms can include mild to severe cough, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, and stuffy or runny noses.
