The Flu Vaccine: Do I really need it?

Seasonal flu

The answer is yes, if you belong to one of the categories at risk of developing flu-related complications, some of which are potentially fatal, like pneumonia and heart failure.

Who needs the flu vaccine?

Categories at risk include adults aged 50 and over; children aged six months to five years; adults and children with an underlying health problem, such as diabetes, asthma or lung disease; pregnant women; and anyone in close contact with adults and children who have flu, or are at risk of complications.

How does it work?

The flu vaccine contains a small amount of the (dead) flu virus that is most likely to cause a flu outbreak in one particular year. When you get the flu vaccine, usually as an injection in the arm, your body’s immune system starts producing antibodies against that specific type of virus. So, when you are exposed to it during the flu season, your body has enough antibodies to fight it off. This takes, usually, three weeks from vaccination.

Will it make me ill?

The flu vaccine is made from dead virus. For this reason, it cannot make you ill when you get it. Live flu viruses are contained in a nasal spray form of the flu vaccine, called Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV). However, these viruses are weakened, so the spray vaccine, like the traditional flu shot, cannot make you ill. Remember that LAIV is approved for use only in healthy individuals aged five to forty-nine.

When do I need the flu vaccine?

You should be vaccinated each year. This is because, each winter, seasonal flu is caused by a different group of viruses, which means that the vaccine is different as well. The best time for your flu shot is October or November, although vaccination later in the flu season can still protect you. 

Swine flu

Countries worldwide are currently working on the production of a swine flu vaccine. This should be ready in a few months, and be available to everyone. Front-line healthcare workers and at-risk categories will probably be the first to receive the vaccine.

Who will need the swine flu vaccine?

As with seasonal flu, these categories include people who are more likely of being infected with swine flu, and of developing severe complications from it. These categories, however, may not be the same as those for seasonal flu. The available data so far seems to indicate that those most at risk are healthy, middle-aged adults, rather than the elderly, as for seasonal flu.

Will the swine flu vaccine be effective?

The swine flu vaccine is being made using dead portions of the swine flu virus as it is now. Like all flu viruses, with time, A(H1N1) can mutate (i.e., change) into a different form. If it changes too much, while the vaccine is being prepared, vaccination may not be as effective as expected.

 

From Chapter 4

Antiviral Medications

Antiviral medications work in a different way that vaccines do. As explained in the previous section, vaccines keep you from developing the infection when you come into contact with the virus. Antiviral drugs, on the contrary, are designed ... continued

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From Chapter 16

Nutritional supplements

Make sure that the product you are taking contains all the most important vitamins and in the right quantity. This means that each vitamin should not be present in larger doses than the recommended daily allowance, because certain vitamins can accumulate in the body and be toxic as a result ... continued

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From Chapter 16

Herbal remedies

When seeking out the salubrious potential of some herbs, it’s important to remain detached and keep a critical perspective. Don’t be taken in by the hyperbole and mumbo-jumbo, propagated by self-proclaimed witch doctors, to support ridiculous quack claims. Contrary to ... continued

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