Flu season is still a month or two away, but health officials are encouraging people to start getting vaccines now.

“We’re telling people to get it as quickly as possible,” said Lorrie Caruana, human resources and health official at Longstreet Clinic on Jesse Jewell Parkway. “It takes six to eight weeks for the vaccine to build up in your immune system. Some say September is early to get the vaccine, but it’s not if November starts flu season. You don’t want to be sick for the holidays.”

Longstreet is starting its public clinic for flu vaccines on Wednesday. Anyone can get a vaccine for $20 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.

“We want the community to be as healthy as possible, as well as our patients, because everyone is part of the community,” Caruana said. “We take care of everybody.”

Although some vaccines exist for infants older than six months, the clinic only offers shots for ages 4 and older, and it covers three strains — H1N1, H3N2/influenza A and influenza B. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials currently recommend that everyone six months and older get a flu vaccine.

“We’re not recommending any specific ages or groups of people, such as older citizens, this year,” Caruana said. “It’s important for everyone.”

The Hall County Health Department is open daily and offers vaccines. Local pharmacies are starting to post signs outside of their businesses to advertise vaccine availability.

National Influenza Vaccination Week, usually held in January after the holiday season when flu season peaks, is scheduled for Dec. 5-11 this year to highlight the importance of continuing vaccination.

CDC officials calculate that last year’s attack of H1N1 — the swine flu — won’t be repeated this year, especially because the strain is included in this year’s vaccine. However, they’ll continue to monitor how strains are mutating as flu season starts.

“Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. Although epidemics of flu happen every year, the timing, severity and length of the epidemic depends on many factors, including what influenza viruses are spreading and whether they match the viruses in the vaccine,” CDC officials released in a statement.

“Last flu season saw the emergence of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. This virus caused the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. While not certain, it is likely that 2009 H1N1 viruses will continue to spread along with seasonal viruses in the U.S. during the 2010-2011 flu season.”