Flu Season
Have you prepared for the flu season? Ready or not, the flu season is here. Don’t base your risk on getting the flu based on last year. Last year’s flu season was mild partly because of what the statistics show. Last year there was an increase in the number of people vaccinated. See the statistics:
- Last year, about 47% of people received the flu vaccine as of November, an increase in 7% from the previous year.
- The 2018-2019 flu vaccine was about 7% more effective than the previous year’s vaccine.
- 2017-2018 Stats – 48.8 million illnesses, 959,000 hospitalizations, 79,400 deaths
- 2018-2019 Stats – 42.9 million illnesses, 647,000 hospitalizations, 61,200 deaths
There are a number of factors that determine the severity of the flu each year. However, with an increase in vaccination rates and an increase in vaccine effectiveness of just 7% can decreased hospitalizations by 32% and deaths by 23%. Statistics and research show that the flu vaccine helps, a lot.
Get Vaccinated
Nobody is highly motivated to get a flu shot. But the risks of getting and having complications from the flu are exponentially higher than the lack of motivation for getting a vaccine. Unfortunately despite the science behind vaccines and the statistics proving that vaccines save lives, flu vaccine rates are typically below 50%. So let me reassure you of a few things if you are on the fence…
The flu shot cannot cause the flu. It is an inactivated virus.
Is it possible to feel fatigued or run down due to your immune system mounting a response (aka it’s working)? Yes.
Is possible that you catch a virus after the flu shot that makes you think it is the flu? Yes… because there are a million viruses this time of year.
Is it possible you actually get the flu shortly after the shot because you were exposed before the vaccine had time to work? Yes.
Just because you are healthy does not mean you are invincible. Healthy people die from influenza too.
Even if the strain isn’t perfect, the flu shot still offers you protection. People who get the flu and have gotten the flu shot have lower rates of complications and shorter, less severe symptoms.
Finally, by vaccinating yourself, you are protecting those who cannot be vaccinated, like infants for example. The more people that are vaccinated, the less the flu spreads in the community. You getting a vaccine can literally save someone else’s life.
Schedule an Appointment
If you are still unsure whether you are at risk in getting the flu, please schedule an appointment at our clinic..
