Getting vaccinated is the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease.
Advertisement
It’s not possible to predict what this flu season will be like.
“Every year it’s a guessing game”, says Dr. Esper. “Just take it a year at a time and bite the bullet”. In Savannah, flu season peaks around the end of December or beginning of January.
Actually, the flu vaccine prepares your body’s immune system to fight off influenza. Most seasonal flu activity typically occurs between October and May.
Last winter, the vaccine provided a mere 18 percent effectiveness against the dominant H3N2 strain of the virus, according to the National Institutes of Health. If diagnosed early enough, the doctor may prescribe anti-viral medications that can shorten recovery time from the flu. “We have teamed up with community partners to help our residents get prepared for flu season”. Some other people can be treated with antivirals at their health care professional’s discretion. “For some of those high-risk populations, it can have a greater impact”.
Antiviral drugs can be used to treat flu illness when begun within 48 hours of getting sick. Antiviral drugs are effective across all age-and risk groups. But no matter how effective it is, it won’t work if people don’t get the shot. He or she might need treatment with influenza antiviral drugs. “And it’s estimated, depending on what statistics you look at, up to 40-thousand people a year die from influenza or complication of influenza”.
We advise the public to ask questions and be informed about their annual flu shot. Whatever immunity it provides lasts at least four to six months.
The injection form of the flu vaccine is a dead virus, so it is not infectious and is recommended for people ages 6 months and up. “When you’re in school, it’s a wonderful learning experience”.
When should I get vaccinated?
The Flu vaccine can be completed as a shot or for many individuals as a nasal spray.
Generally, the vaccine takes about two weeks to become effective.
Mr Mittal and CDC collaborators Suryaprakash Sambhara and Ian York created a vaccine in 2006 for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
“It’s pretty easy access for me”, Loch said. As with other vaccines, there is a risk of having an allergic reaction, although it’s rare.
The National Institutes of Health’s funding will allow comparative pathobiology professor Suresh Mittal to continue working on that vaccine. Recipients can still get the flu, but the vaccine reduces the severity of symptoms.
Flu vaccines grown outside a chicken egg, so that there are no egg allergy issues. It does so by stimulating antibody production when you receive the vaccine. The vaccination drive will begin on October 6.
The Geauga County Health District has announced the adult flu clinics for everyone 19 years and older.
Vaccination is also important to keep those around you safe and protected.
Advertisement
“It’s looking good… a better match than the previous year”, said Dr. Luther Rhodes, chief of infection control at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
