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Time To Get Shot...A Flu Shot!
At Safety4Kids we're always trying to give parents the information they need to empower them to keep their kids safe and healthy. And at this time of year our attention turns to the flu. We don't have to tell you that flu season is here! Your kids are probably already coming home and telling you which of their friends didn't come to school because they weren't feeling well. We asked our own Dr. Bruce Bonanno, an ER doc with lots of experience and chair of the Public Relations committee of the American College of Emergency Physcians, to give us some basic information that could just help prevent the spread of this nasty bug!
Here's what Dr. Bonanno had to say:
The flu season is now approaching and it is time to receive your yearly vaccination. You and your children should get the flu shot because it will usually protect you from getting the flu this year. Even children as young as six months should get the shot. Without the shot, there's a greater chance of getting a serious case of the flue, which means more days of school missed and more days of work missed. If any of your family falls into the high-risk group, it will help protect them from getting the complications of the flu, which is mainly pneumonia, or worsening the medical problems they normally have.
There is also a nasal spray Flu vaccine now available and approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Why should healthy people get the flu vaccination?
Healthy people should get the vaccination because it will help prevent the large outbreaks in the community that always seem to occur. You know the ones where the kids in school get affected first, then the parents catch it next, and they spread it to their office co-workers, who spread it to their kids, who then take it to school and give it to their friends who then give it to their parents. It's a vicious and somewhat preventable cycle.
Some people are afraid of getting a flu shot because they think they will get the flu from the shot. Is this true?
You do not get the flu from getting the flu shot. The vaccine is created from dead, or inactivated virus. Unless you are sick at the time of vaccination or you are allergic to eggs, you should not experience symptoms.
Can you still get the flu if you get the vaccination?
The bad news about getting vaccinated is that ten to twenty percent of those given the shot may still get the flu, although it will be a milder case. In addition, the vaccine is made up of three different strains of flu. These strains are picked out of the large number that are possible by research that shows these three strains are the most likely to occur this year. The strains chosen may be different every year.
How long does it take before vaccination works?
Average is 2-3 weeks.
When we talk about the getting the "flu", what exactly are we talking about?
When we talk about getting the "flu", short for "influenza", what we are talking about is an infection of the air passages that is caused by a virus, much like the common cold.
How is the flu different than the common cold?
Getting a cold is like getting hit with a scooter, getting the flu is like getting hit by a train! In addition to the usual dry cough, sneezing, watery nasal discharge, and stuffy nose, it also has an effect on the whole body. This may include fever, headache, runny eyes, muscle or joint aches, and generalized weakness.
When does the influenza virus occur?
The influenza virus is present all year but we hear about it mostly in the late fall and winter months because that is when people are starting to stay indoors more and this causes the outbreaks which occur. People are usually affected between late October to April. Peak flu season is January and February.
(c) Robert Byron. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
Here's what Dr. Bonanno had to say:
The flu season is now approaching and it is time to receive your yearly vaccination. You and your children should get the flu shot because it will usually protect you from getting the flu this year. Even children as young as six months should get the shot. Without the shot, there's a greater chance of getting a serious case of the flue, which means more days of school missed and more days of work missed. If any of your family falls into the high-risk group, it will help protect them from getting the complications of the flu, which is mainly pneumonia, or worsening the medical problems they normally have.There is also a nasal spray Flu vaccine now available and approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Why should healthy people get the flu vaccination?
Healthy people should get the vaccination because it will help prevent the large outbreaks in the community that always seem to occur. You know the ones where the kids in school get affected first, then the parents catch it next, and they spread it to their office co-workers, who spread it to their kids, who then take it to school and give it to their friends who then give it to their parents. It's a vicious and somewhat preventable cycle.
Some people are afraid of getting a flu shot because they think they will get the flu from the shot. Is this true?
You do not get the flu from getting the flu shot. The vaccine is created from dead, or inactivated virus. Unless you are sick at the time of vaccination or you are allergic to eggs, you should not experience symptoms.
Can you still get the flu if you get the vaccination?
The bad news about getting vaccinated is that ten to twenty percent of those given the shot may still get the flu, although it will be a milder case. In addition, the vaccine is made up of three different strains of flu. These strains are picked out of the large number that are possible by research that shows these three strains are the most likely to occur this year. The strains chosen may be different every year.
How long does it take before vaccination works?
Average is 2-3 weeks.
When we talk about the getting the "flu", what exactly are we talking about?
When we talk about getting the "flu", short for "influenza", what we are talking about is an infection of the air passages that is caused by a virus, much like the common cold.
How is the flu different than the common cold?
Getting a cold is like getting hit with a scooter, getting the flu is like getting hit by a train! In addition to the usual dry cough, sneezing, watery nasal discharge, and stuffy nose, it also has an effect on the whole body. This may include fever, headache, runny eyes, muscle or joint aches, and generalized weakness.
When does the influenza virus occur?
The influenza virus is present all year but we hear about it mostly in the late fall and winter months because that is when people are starting to stay indoors more and this causes the outbreaks which occur. People are usually affected between late October to April. Peak flu season is January and February.
(c) Robert Byron. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
