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Stop the Spread of Influenza
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Stop the Spread of Influenza
from: Papa McRaeThis fascinating article presents some important information on the upcoming influenza season. If you have a particular interest in stopping its spread, then this informative article will refresh your memory.
Within the medical field it is generally agreed upon that the most effective way to inhibit the spread of the flu is to get immunized every fall. The method of developing the annual flu shot is complicated and actually starts almost a year ahead of time with the monitoring of activity around the world, particularly in the southern hemisphere were their winter flu season starts long before ours. A selection of three different types of viruses are then used to produce the vaccines to be used for our fall and winter season. Since these stains change every year, sometimes even before they get to us, it is important that you get inoculated every year. And get it early because it takes about 2 weeks after we get immunized for our immune system to produce the antibodies that provide us with protection from these viruses and help prevent the infection or at least lessen its harshness if are exposed to the flu bug. The vaccine is then effective for about 4 to 6 months. If you are like the majority of the population who catch the flu you should recover within a week or ten days. But there are many though that are at a higher risk to suffer more severe complications such as pneumonia if they come down with the virus. This at-risk group of people are those who need to get immunized and are placed on a priority status so that they are given the flu vaccine first. They include:
* Seniors 65 years of age and older
* Young children from the ages of 6 to 23 months;
* Children and adults with medical conditions such as chronic heart and lung disease with compromised respiratory functions
* People with other chronic health conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, cancer, immune suppression or HIV
* Health care providers, day care workers, home caregivers and even household members able of passing the influenza to those in the high risk groups
* People living in a nursing home, long-term health care homes or chronic care facilities
Now it is important to note that the flu vaccine is not advised for anyone who has experienced:
* Allergic reactions to a prior dose of the vaccine
* Severe allergic reactions to chicken eggs
* Guillain-Barre syndrome within 6 weeks of getting a flu vaccination
Also anyone who is presently suffering from a fever associated with an active viral or bacterial infection or is under the age of six months should refrain from getting vaccinated.
Although some people are worried about the side effects of having a flu shot, the benefits far outweigh the risks. First of all the vaccine is not produced with any live virus so it cannot cause influenza. And secondly the most common side effects, if they do occur, which are usually noticed within 6 to 12 hours normally last only a few days include:
* Redness, soreness and swelling at the injection site
* Some muscle and body aches
* A low fever
* General fatigue
* And even coughing, a runny nose, a slight headache and maybe a sore throat
None of the above side effects are as agonizing though as experiencing the actual flu which can be extremely more uncomfortable and incapacitating as anyone who remembers a past occurrence can relate.
It is understandable that the primary reason for you to get a flu shot is for the protection of yourself and family from the serious health effects of catching the flu, however by doing so you will also help stop the spread of influenza, conceivably to those around you that are at risk. History shows that since the mass flu vaccine immunization programs were implemented the number of flu cases and deaths within the high risk groups, especially seniors over 65 years of age and young children under 6 years old, have decreased drastically. Now that over 90 million people in the US alone are taking part in some sort of immunization plan, optimistic views are that these figures will continue to diminish.
A final note to please always remember that your family's general practitioner should be consulted when making any decision concerning getting a flu shot.
Knowing more about how to stop the spread of influenza is important to you and your family and I hope this article has been a help.
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