Benton Franklin Health District Explains Why People Need Flu Shots

“The flu shot is the best form of prevention against the flu”. Vaccination can reduce flu illnesses if you do get sick, which can mean less time lost at work or in school.

Delaware Health officials distributed free flu shots Friday to Delaware residents 9 and older at the New Castle Farmer’s Market. “Last year was a very specific year in the sense that they guessed right on the virus but the virus actually mutated during the course from when we started to produce the vaccine to when flu season came along”, Routledge added. It is important to note that the higher dose vaccine used in this study is described as four times the strength of the standard vaccine and differs from the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which protects against four strains of flu vaccine, rather than the customary three. The vaccine could result in minor side effects, including redness and swelling at the injection site, and is not recommended for those with a history of severe allergic reactions to eggs.

Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) is offering the seasonal flu vaccine at all of its six clinics for children eligible for Texas Vaccines for Children (TVFC). “On average, 200,000 people in the United States are hospitalized each year”, said Doctor Laura Kornegay, health director for the Central Shenandoah Health District. Influenza season for the most part begins in September or October and goes through April or May. A few people prefer this simple and painless method that offers the protection of a quadrivalent vaccine.

He says no matter if people get the shot or the nasal mist, they can not get the flu from the vaccine, but they may feel a little under the weather.

Everyone 6 months and older is encouraged to get one, but especially the young and elderly, pregnant women, and anyone with underlying health problems. “Even if you’re not in a high-risk group, you likely live or interact with those who are”.

And who should get a flu shot? Once a person receives a vaccine it takes about two weeks for your body to develop antibodies and protection from the flu. You and your family might weather the flu just fine, but you could easily pass it to others around you – like your friend’s newborn, your grandmother, the child at school on chemotherapy – for whom the flu is extremely risky.