Flu Vaccinations Prevent Spread of Respiratory Illness

The term flu is frequently used incorrectly. It is often stated, “I had the stomach flu.” Actually influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses, of which there are several with new strains developing yearly.

Flu viruses change from year to year. The immunity — the natural protection that develops against a disease after a person has had that disease — built up from having the flu caused by one virus strain doesn’t always provide protection when a new strain is circulating.

Second, a vaccine made against flu viruses circulating last year may not protect against the newer viruses. That is why the influenza vaccine is updated to include current viruses every year.

Influenza can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death. On average, 5-20 percent of the United States population gets the flu each year. Annually, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized or 36,000 die from flu complications.

Symptoms of flu include usually high fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, and stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea also can occur but are more common in children than adults.

Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five days after becoming sick.

The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination each year.

Two types of vaccines are available:

1. The “flu shot” — an inactivated vaccine containing the killed virus is given with a needle. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.

2. The nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu; is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January and beyond.

People who should get vaccinated each year are children ages 6 months up to their 19th birthday; pregnant women; people 50 years of age and older; people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions; people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities; people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including health care workers, household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu and household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age.

Some people should not be vaccinated without first consulting a physician. They include people who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs, people who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past, people who developed Guillain-Barre’s syndrome within six weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously, children less than 6 months of age and people who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.

(c) 2008 Daily Record, The Wooster, OH. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.