Every year thousands of people end up in the hospital with flu complications. According to CDC (Center of Disease Control & Prevention) the best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.
The question; Is flu shot vaccination really useful? Well, let’s take a quick look from the source, in this case is the Influenza virus that cause flu in the first place. There are currently 2 types of Influenza viruses, Type A & Type B. Indeed, these two viral candidates are fully responsible for the seasonal flu epidemics each year. Influenza Type A viruses can further be broken down into sub-types as well. Throughout the whole course of a flu season all these different types & subtypes of influenza viruses are being circulated in various form that cause this common illness.
In addition, influenza viruses are constantly changing through a process called “antigenic drift”. This is a continuous & spontaneous mutations process in the viral RNA. This often enables the virus to evade the immune system of the host such as humans, canine(Dog), avian(Birds), swine(Pig) & others. This process works in this sequence, a host infected with influenza virus develops antibody against that virus; as the virus changes, the “first” antibody no longer recognizes the “newer” virus and reinfection can occur. The first antibody may in some instances provide partial protection against reinfection with an influenza virus.
So, what that really mean is flu shot cannot really prevent you from getting a flu because it depends what type of viruses you are infected with. In addition, the Influenza viruses changes very rapidly which makes the vaccination to be somewhat obsolete. The vaccination is still effective for older type of viruses but be aware that it most likely have very little effect against current viruses.
The bottom line is that flu shot does not make you invincible towards the Influenza viruses, some people think you can get a flu from a flu shot which is not true. You can get a flu after the flu shot because you might be infected by newer Influenza viruses. Since the vaccine manufacturer cannot predict the future of Influenza viruses mutation. That means they are always reacting to the current result of the influenza viruses.
The best prevention is still simple common sense practices such as covering nose & mouth with tissue or napkins while coughing or sneezing. Do remember to dispose the tissues & napkins after use. Washing hands with soap & water after cough or sneeze. Hand sanitizers also works well. Avoid close contact with sick people as much as possible, if you happen to be infected with flu please be considerate to either stay at home, school , work place. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth because this is how viruses spread into your immune systems.
In conclusion, the flu shot can give you an extra piece of mind in terms of protection which can be useful for many people. But it certainly is not the be all end all solution to this annual epidemics.
If you are interested to learn more about your health, check out http://www.healthyencounter.com.