Last winter one strain of flu mutated so significantly that the vaccine offered much lower levels of protection. What options are available to me this year?
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Midstate retailers such as Giant Food Stores are stocked up on flu vaccine and promoting the availability of flu shots.
If you’re thinking about skipping the flu shot this year, think again.
Even if you shrug off the fact that sometimes people die of the flu, why would you want to risk suffering even a week’s misery if the yearly vaccine minimizes the chances? But a flu shot is still your best defense against the flu.
As far as the 2014 to 2015 adult flu vaccine is concerned, it was only 34 per cent effective against the circulating strains of flu.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to recommend licensure of NVS Influenza Vaccines’ candidate vaccine to help protect against seasonal influenza in those aged ≥65 years via accelerated approval.
Flu is a constantly-changing virus, which is why a new vaccine is needed every year. Flu causes unpleasant symptoms such as fevers, chills, aching muscles and joints, headaches and extreme tiredness.
In Jefferson County, the health department has adult doses, but the vaccine for kids is delayed.
Intradermal flu shot: For those who don’t like needles, the intradermal flu shot uses a tiny 1/16-inch long micro-needle to inject the vaccine just under the skin, rather than deeper in the muscle like standard flu shots. Illinois does not count the number of flu cases in the state but reported the same trends.
For more information and updates on flu shot clinics in Bureau County, go to the health department website at www.bpchd.org or like its page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bpchd.
The CDC recommends that all American adults get a flu vaccine every year.
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“This is an exciting development, but the new vaccines now need to be tested in clinical trials to see how well they work in humans”, said Sara Gilbert of the University of Oxford, adding that it will take years to reach that point. Get your vaccination. Many healthcare plans cover it for free, so why wouldn’t you? Experts say vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza and its potentially severe complications.
