Flu Vaccination – Get Yours TODAY!
Christie Brittingham gives Bethany Howard her annual flu shot. Be sure to get yours and be a SUPERHERO!
Why should people get vaccinated against the flu?
Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands or tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children.
How do flu vaccines work?
Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.
The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Traditional flu vaccines (called “trivalent” vaccines) are made to protect against three flu viruses; an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus. There are also flu vaccines made to protect against four flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines). These vaccines protect against the same viruses as the trivalent vaccine and an additional B virus.
What are the benefits of flu vaccination?
There are many reasons to get a flu vaccine each year. Below is a summary from CDC.gov of the benefits of flu vaccination:
¨ Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
¨ Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults.
¨ Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
¨ Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.
¨ Flu vaccine can be life-saving in children.
¨ Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
¨ Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.