Do I need to get a flu shot?

Flu is so dangerous for people that it is ranked third among the most treacherous diseases of our time. Therefore, doctors recommend vaccination to avoid flu and its complications. Meanwhile, up to 80% of US residents, about 10% of the Russian population, and up to 1% of Ukrainians prefer to get vaccinated. There are many rumors about vaccinations - some true, some not. Should you get a flu shot?

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Who needs a flu shot?

The WHO says that although everyone gets the flu, not everyone needs to be vaccinated. But there are groups of people who absolutely need flu shots. These are:

• Children from six months of age who have not yet acquired immunity to colds and whose immune system is still very weak

• People with chronic respiratory diseases (but not in acute condition and without fever)
• Those with immunodeficiency
• People who have crossed the threshold of 50 years

Why is it so hard to find a flu shot?

The flu virus contains special antigens, the formula and type of which form varieties of the same viruses. These varieties, unfortunately, change their composition every year, which makes it quite difficult to select an effective vaccine against flu.

In order for the vaccine to be developed correctly and accordingly, it is necessary to rely on doctors' forecasts regarding probable changes in the structure of the virus. This is quite difficult, so if the vaccine is selected incorrectly, it may not be right and not fully protect a person from the flu. The fact is that if scientists have not guessed correctly with the vaccine, it will not contain enough anti-substances to resist the flu. If the vaccine is selected incorrectly, its effectiveness decreases by 3 times - this is what explains the ineffectiveness of vaccinations.

What is the composition of the flu vaccine?

The flu shot contains viruses, but not live ones, but already killed ones. These viruses, getting into the human body, increase its immunity and make it fight the infection. Having trained on weak viruses, the body instantly recognizes flu viruses that get to it from the external environment. And copes with them without difficulty. This is the essence of the flu shot.

The difference between the vaccine and the real flu virus is that it contains very weak viruses or inactivated viruses (no virus at all). These inactivated viruses can cause most complications after the flu. Two weeks pass after the flu shot, and this is the time when the body fully adapts to this type of flu. Therefore, it is better to get a flu shot not during epidemics, but before they occur - starting in October.

Benefits of the Flu Shot

The flu shot helps reduce the incidence of flu on a fairly impressive scale - that's a fact. For example, among elderly people who have received the flu shot, up to 60% do not suffer from acute respiratory diseases at all. The flu shot allows more than 80% of people of all ages who have been vaccinated not to get sick. Children who have received the flu shot stop getting sick in more than 92% of cases. The flu shot also reduces the likelihood of complications by more than a third - one of them is otitis, which is painful for children.

Disadvantages of the flu shot

The flu shot also has side effects. They are associated with:

• Incorrect use of the vaccine (not corresponding to the flu strain)
• Carrying out vaccination in those conditions that are prohibited for vaccination - pregnancy in the first trimester, high temperature, illness in the acute stage at the time of vaccination
• An adverse reaction to substances in the vaccine that were not taken into account

The consequences of a negative reaction of the body to the vaccination are weakness of the body, redness at the injection site, fever and mild flu symptoms - headache, lethargy, etc. With a normal reaction of the body to the vaccine, these symptoms disappear within two days after the vaccination, and in case of complications, the person's condition deteriorates sharply after 6-12 hours from the time of vaccination.

It is worth knowing that, in addition to the flu shot, there are other methods of prevention: drinking plenty of fluids with vitamins (rosehip, sea buckthorn, tea with lemon and honey), wearing an antiviral mask, taking multivitamin preparations to maintain immunity, and washing your hands frequently. They should definitely be used, because in the cold season a person does not get a lot of vitamins - up to 70% of what is needed!

Therefore, using the flu shot as the only means is wrong. But you don’t need to refuse it either. Especially if you find yourself on the list of people who simply need a flu shot.

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Who should not get the flu vaccine?

There are people who should not get the flu shot because it can cause a number of complications.

• These are people with chronic diseases of the nervous system.
• Those who have problems with the genitourinary system (ureter, bladder, kidneys, etc.)
• People suffering from diseases of the endocrine organs (thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland)
• Those who have heart failure, and it is clearly expressed
• People with bronchial asthma
• Patients with blood diseases of any age
• Pregnant women up to the third trimester of pregnancy
• Those who are allergic to chicken protein

The flu vaccine, by introducing viruses into the body, can cause side effects even in healthy people who do not suffer from the above contraindications.

Flu in numbers

Today, flu is a real plague of the century. In terms of complications and mortality, flu is in third place after cardiovascular diseases and cancer. And flu, together with acute respiratory viral infections, accounts for 95% of infectious diseases. These viruses affect up to 500 million people on the planet every year. Of these people, up to 2 million die. To reduce these deaths, scientists recommend vaccination.

Vaccination, according to WHO, should protect people from flu and prevent complications from flu, not to mention mortality, which is significantly reduced. The vaccine works by strengthening the immune system first of all.

But, unfortunately, this protection does not always work. As a minus, doctors do not always select the vaccine correctly, and as a plus, even if the vaccination does not completely protect against infection with the virus, it does make it possible to weaken its effect on the body.

Learn more about the flu virus

There is more than one flu virus. There are at least three of them – flu virus A, B, C – like the first letters in the English alphabet. Flu type A is considered the most dangerous, it is associated with epidemics and pandemics. Flu type B is also no gift – it causes damage to the body of many people, but affects people more locally. Flu virus C is considered the mildest in its impact, although it is undesirable to get sick with any of the three types of flu.