Flu Vaccines: Get Vaccinated To Avoid Influenza And Stay Safe

As per the reports submitted by the Centers for Disease Control, you can control the spread of influenza by getting vaccinated during each fall. To ward off the effects of three different viruses, every vaccine comprises of their strains. The Flu vaccines change every year based on the estimation of the strain that is going to get circulated in a specific period.

Flu Vaccine

Antibodies start developing in our body and provide safety from influenza, 2 weeks following the vaccination.

Who are most susceptible to influenza virus?

Persons, who are most susceptible to influenza, include elderly (above 65) and young children (below 6 months of age). If you have chronic health condition (immunosuppression, chronic lung or heart conditions and aspirin therapy), you are bound to be unsuccessful in your attempts of getting properly vaccinated. People working with or caring for susceptible individuals must also opt for flu vaccines. Anyone, looking forward to a reduction in the chance of acquiring this flu, should also opt for vaccination.

Types of flu vaccines

Currently, ‘flu injection’ and ‘nasal spray vaccine’ are the two types of flu vaccines available in the market.

Flu injection: The vaccine is injected through the deltoids muscle of your arm. It contains an inactive or killed virus. This particular vaccine can be administered to people, who are 6 months or older and have no chronic condition.

Nasal spray vaccine: Nasal spray flu vaccines are the ones made from live viruses are given to healthy people belonging to the age bracket of 5-49 years. It is not safe for pregnant women to take nasal sprays, as it contains live viruses.

Who should not opt for flu vaccines?

Flu vaccines are not recommended for individuals having allergic reactions in the past. They should also not have Guillain-Barre syndrome inside of 6 weeks from the vaccination date. Even kids below the age of six months and people currently having bacterial infection should avoid the vaccination.

Priority list of CDC for vaccination

Certain section of people is given the first priority for receiving the flu vaccines. They include people beyond 65 years of age. Again, a person without chronic health condition is also eligible for receiving the vaccinations.

Side effects of flu vaccines

There are mild side effects of flu vaccines and they last for a couple of days only. Symptoms of the vaccination include redness, soreness and swelling of muscle at the site of injection. Nasal spray flu vaccines consist of weakened viruses and can cause symptoms common to the ones in flu (sore throat, headache, nausea, runny nose, muscle aches, vomiting and fever). However, the effect of these viruses lasts only for two days and gets subsided. Still, you should treat these symptoms in the early stage, if you do not wish to make them take unmanageable proportions.

You should discuss the decision of getting flu vaccines with the health care provider of your family. Getting vaccinated and experiencing smaller symptoms are more favorable than being down with flu. Again, it also reduces the chances of you being in a position, from where you can infect and spread the virus to other host.