Influenza is serious
- Influenza is a contagious disease of the respiratory tract (nose throat and lungs) that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic conditions like congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes.
- Its symptoms, which disrupt your daily life for two weeks, may include fever, headaches, extreme exhaustion, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches.
- Each year on average in the U.S., more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 die from influenza-related complications.
Why vaccination matters
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that the single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination each year.
- Influenza vaccination is convenient and inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of contracting the flu.
- When the match between the influenza vaccine and the circulating strains is close, influenza vaccination is highly effective, preventing illness in about 70 percent to 90 percent of healthy people younger than 65, according to the CDC
- The influenza vaccination helps protect you and your family, loved ones, friends and co-workers because it helps prevent the spreading of the disease should you get infected.
| Facts & Fiction: Clearing up Misconceptions
- Fiction: I might catch the flu from the vaccine.
- Fact: Injectable influenza vaccines are made from influenza viruses that have been killed, and a killed virus cannot give you the disease.
- Fiction: Ive heard the side effects of the vaccine are worse than the flu itself.
- Fact: Most people who get a flu shot have no serious problems from it. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, may cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction.
- Fiction: Its only good for older people and young kids.
- Fact: The elderly and young children are just two of the groups considered to be at increased risk for complications from influenza, but the vaccination may benefit anyone over the age of 6 months, even healthy adults. It is not currently approved for children younger than 6 months.
- Fiction: I missed the vaccination season.
- Fact: Although October and November are the recommended months for vaccination (since that is when the virus starts to circulate), getting one later in the season (December through March) can still help protect you and your loved ones from influenza.
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