Flu Vaccine - How Is It Vital?

Yearly flu vaccination is the best tool currently available to protect against influenza (flu). Currently available vaccines give immunity against H1N1(Swine flu) and many other strains of Viruses. While how well the flu vaccine works can vary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); USA recommends yearly flu vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against flu and its potentially serious complications.

Millions of people have safely received flu vaccines for decades. Flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, doctors' visits, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Some very few people who get vaccinated might still get the disease. However, people who get a flu vaccine are less likely to get hospitalized from flu than someone who does not get vaccinated.

Why do I need to get vaccinated every year?

New flu vaccines are released every year to keep up with rapidly adapting flu viruses. Because flu viruses evolve so quickly, last year's vaccine may not protect you from this year's viruses. After vaccination, your immune system produces antibodies that will protect you from the vaccine viruses. In general, though, antibody levels start to decline over time — another reason to get a flu shot every year. Flu vaccines bring down the risks of suffering from flu. Its effectiveness is based on different factors as below.

Age: Usually, the flu vaccine happens to work the best for healthy adults. However, these vaccines cannot work as well with children, especially infants (below the age of 2-3 years). Nevertheless, the efficacy improves with age. Since older people are more prone to contracting the flu virus, it is essential that they get themselves vaccinated. Even if the vaccine is not able to ward off the flu entirely, it can still help reduce the risks to a great extent.

General Health: Vaccine spurs immunity into action. It helps your body in identifying and fighting the virus. The efficacy of the flu vaccine solely depends on the capability of your body’s immunity system and how well it responds to the virus.

The time of the vaccination: For optimal protection, it is advised to go for the vaccination every year right before the ‘flu’ season starts. This is because after the flu season gets done with, old vaccines may not work as effectively. The flu vaccine needs to be updated every season to guard you against the kind of flu dominant in that particular year. It does render immunity and helps reduce the severity as well as general incidences of disease.