More to Know About the Flu Vaccine
While vaccination is the best protection from getting the fu, you’ll also want to
consider the following.
Not everyone should get vaccinated.
You should not get the fu vaccine
without talking to a doctor if you have:
✓
A fever.
✓
A severe allergy to chicken
eggs.
✓
Had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past.
✓
Developed Guillain-
Barré syndrome within six weeks of getting a fu vaccine.
Also, children younger than 6 months should not get the vaccine.
Two types of fu vaccine are available.
One is given by injection (a shot),
and one is sprayed into the nostrils. Te nasal spray is an option only for healthy
people ages 2 to 49. It’s not approved for pregnant women.
Unlike in the past, you don’t need two vaccinations.
Tere’s now one
vaccine that protects against both the seasonal fu and the H1N1 virus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
PERHAPS
it should be called the
boomerang bug.
Year after year, the fu returns to
wreak havoc on the young, the old
and everyone in between.
Yet there is a way to fght back
against this seasonal menace: Get
an annual fu vaccine.
Why Get It?
Along with protecting yourself
against the fu, getting vaccinated
also helps you avoid spreading the
virus to others. Both are important,
because the fu can make people
seriously sick.
Flu can cause high fever and
pneumonia and make existing
medical conditions worse. It can
also cause diarrhea and seizures in
children.
And every year, thousands of
people die from the f lu and many
more require hospitalization,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Who Should Get It
and When?
Te CDC recommends that nearly
everyone older than 6 months get
the fu vaccine. It’s particularly
important that people who are at
high risk for getting severely ill with
the fu, and people who regularly
come in contact with them, be
vaccinated. Tat group includes:
➜
➜
Pregnant women.
➜
➜
Children younger than age 5.
➜
➜
People 50 and older.
➜
➜
Anyone with certain chronic
medical conditions, such as
diabetes or asthma.
➜
➜
People living in nursing homes or
other long-term care facilities.
➜
➜
Health care workers.
Te best time to get the fu
vaccine is in September. But it’s OK
to get it in the winter.
It’s not too late to
get your fu shot. Call
715-623-2351 today to
make an appointment.
THE FLU
Protect Yourself
and Your Family
www.langladehospital.org • Pathways
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