Winter time is flu season – a vaccine can help

Each year presents the causative agent of genuine flu in a new guise, because flu viruses are constantly changing their surface. To protect against this disease, therefore adapted to the current excitation, annual flu vaccination is necessary.

Unlike the common cold or flu infections that are survived usually harmless and within one to two weeks, the real flu or influenza is much more dangerous and much more intense in their symptoms. In addition, the recovery is usually several weeks. Particularly at risk are the elderly and people with weakened in which an infection can even be fatal. Effective protection against this disease has a flu vaccination, but must be repeated every year with a currently effective vaccine because the flu viruses are constantly changing and are no longer recognized by the human immune system. The flu vaccine itself is made in America from an inactivated vaccine, which is made of different influenza viruses, but can not cause more disease.

Flu shot in the fall protects against the winter flu season.

The months of December to March are in America a classic flu season. However, experts recommend a flu vaccination already in the months of September to November for the flu vaccine, like all vaccines effective immediately. The body’s immune system takes about two weeks to make enough antibodies against the influenza viruses. Thereafter, up to 90 percent of all vaccinated are protected against the flu. In elderly or chronically ill people with a weakened immune system of vaccination against it mostly works out weaker. Nevertheless, a flu vaccination is especially important for this group, since even a weak protection provides a much milder course of the disease and helps to prevent dangerous complications such as lung or heart muscle inflammation.

Influenza vaccination not only useful for the elderly or chronically ill.

Generally, everyone can benefit from a flu vaccination as vaccinated persons are not only protected themselves, but also prevent the spread of the pathogen in their own communities. It is particularly recommended the flu vaccine but for people over 60 years, for children, adolescents and adults with chronic respiratory diseases as well as for pregnant women from the fourth month of pregnancy. Importantly, vaccination is also for people who come in their daily lives much with other people in contact with or working in the health sector. Especially in hospitals, doctors’ offices or health care facilities not only the risk of infection is particularly high, but Infected provide also a potential risk to the already weakened people in their environment. As a contraindication to vaccination, however, applies a hen egg white allergy of the immediate type, since the vaccine may contain small traces of egg white from the production process. Vaccination may only if clearly indicated and under careful medical supervision here.