What Protection Does A Flu Vaccine Provide If I Do Get Sick With Flu
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Some people who get vaccinated may still get sick. However, flu vaccination has been shown in some studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick. A 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized adults with flu. Another study in 2018 showed that a vaccinated adult who was hospitalized with flu was 59 percent less likely to be admitted to the ICU than someone who had not been vaccinated. Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated.
Face Masks And Respiratory Hygiene
The WHO and the US CDC recommend individuals wear non-medical face coverings in public settings where there is an increased risk of transmission and where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals and is complementary to established preventive measures such as social distancing. Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing. A face covering without vents or holes will also filter out particles containing the virus from inhaled and exhaled air, reducing the chances of infection. But, if the mask include an exhalation valve, a wearer that is infected would transmit the virus outwards through it, despite any certification they can have. So the masks with exhalation valve are not for the infected wearers, and are not reliable to stop the pandemic in a large scale. Many countries and local jurisdictions encourage or mandate the use of face masks or cloth face coverings by members of the public to limit the spread of the virus.
Can I Exercise After My Covid
Light exercise is fine but we generally recommend avoiding very hard exercise in the 48 hours post vaccination, says Dr James Hull, associate professor at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health at University College London, previously told Stylist. This is on the basis that a large proportion of people will develop some, usually minor, side effects .
Dr Hulls research has found that 83% of young people who had the Pfizer vaccine reported local reactogenicity and 50% of people had systemic reactogenicity including fatigue and headache.
It is not pleasant to try and exercise hard with these symptoms, so its best to plan your training week around your vaccination and build in a couple of recovery days.
Remember that the vaccine doesnt mean you are immune to coronavirus or cant pass it on to other people, so if you do decide to go to the gym or play sport, ensure that you are training safely.
Most importantly, take it slow and give yourself a break if you need to. Your immune system will be working hard in response to the vaccine, so dont try to put your body under too much other pressure.
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Is It True That The Flu Vaccine Can Cause Febrile Seizures In Young Children
A is a convulsion in a child with a fever . They can occur in up to 1 in 20 children aged between 6 months and 6 years old. Febrile seizures usually last around 1 to 2 minutes with loss of consciousness, but nearly all children will recover quickly, regardless of the cause.
Influenza itself can cause fever and results in more febrile seizures than vaccination. In one study, more than 1 in 20 children hospitalised with the flu in Australia had a febrile seizure. In comparison, only 1 in 20,000 children will have a febrile seizure related to fever following a flu shot.
Administer Vaccine Now Or Later
If there seems to be a huge increase in pandemic flu cases, officials will be tempted to trigger vaccine delivery before safety and efficacy studies are completed.
Would that be safe? The pandemic swine flu bug is a type A H1N1 virus. One of the seasonal flu bugs is a type A H1N1 flu bug. Seasonal vaccine doesn’t protect against the new swine flu bug. But there’s a long history of safety and efficacy for flu vaccines made of H1N1 antigens, notes flu expert John Treanor, MD, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Rochester, New York.
“You might be sitting at the end of August faced with the decision to do this,” Treanor tells WebMD. “If we wait, we can’t do vaccination until November. If the pandemic flu follows the seasonal-flu pattern with the bulk of activity in January through March, fine. But if we see this second wave coming in September, we might be faced with the decision to do vaccinations without clinical data.”
An HHS advisory committee on July 17 strongly recommended that Sebelius give the green light to vaccine production by Aug. 15 — before safety and dosing tests are finished. That would mean 60 to 80 million vaccine doses could be ready by Sept. 15.
How fast pandemic flu vaccine gets to people depends on the decision whether to give the vaccine in the traditional way or with something called an adjuvant.
Vaccinating all Americans would be an effort of historic proportions.
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What Are The Types Of Flu Vaccines
Two types of flu vaccine are available for the 20202021 flu season. Both protect against the four types of influenza virus that are causing disease this season::
- the flu shot, which is injected with a needle
- the nasal spray, a mist which gets sprayed into the nostrils
In the past, the nasal spray vaccine wasn’t recommended for kids because it didn’t seem to work well enough. The newer version appears to work as well as the shot. So either vaccine can be given this year, depending on the child’s age and general health.
The nasal spray is only for healthy people ages 249. People with weak immune systems or some health conditions and pregnant women should not get the nasal spray vaccine.
How Long Does It Take For The Flu Shot To Be Effective
Here’s what a doctor who treats the flu says.
Flu season has arrivedand if you haven’t gone for your annual flu shot yet, you’ve probably at least penciled it into your calendar . Seriously, there’s no reason not to. The flu vaccine is simple, takes zero time, and is the best way to reduce your odds of spending a week in flu agony.
But there’s one thing the flu shot can’t do: safeguard you from the flu immediately. In fact, the vaccine needs some time to work its magic.
It takes about two weeks after getting the vaccine for your body to build up enough antibodies to protect against the flu,Jean Moorjani, MD, a pediatrician at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, tells Health. That means the flu could still creep up on you during that two-week waiting period.
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This is why it’s important not to see your flu shot as a hall pass and let other flu-preventing precautions fall to the side. You still need to get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, and stick to your workout schedule to keep your immune system in fighting shape in case you do encounter the flu virus.
And of course, wash your hands with soap and water regularlyespecially before you eat or touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, all of which are conduits that allow flu viral particles to enter your body and infect you. Even after the two-week wait, never slack on these anti-flu measures.
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Why Do I Need A Flu Shot Every Year
You need to get the flu vaccine every year because protection from last year’s vaccine becomes less effective over time. Each year the flu vaccine is made to match the different strains of flu virus likely to be in New Zealand. Occasionally the vaccine strains are the same for more than one year, but it is still recommended that you have the vaccine each year, as the protection provided by the vaccine lessens over time.The new vaccine is usually made available in early April. Get your vaccination before winter when the flu is around the most.
Illness Overburdened The Health Care System
An estimated 195,000 Americans died during October alone. In the fall of 1918, the United States experienced a severe shortage of professional nurses during the flu pandemic because large numbers of them were deployed to military camps in the United States and abroad. This shortage was made worse by the failure to use trained African American nurses. The Chicago chapter of the American Red Cross issued an urgent call for volunteers to help nurse the ill. Philadelphia was hit hard by the pandemic with more than 500 corpses awaiting burial, some for more than a week. Many parts of the U.S. had been drained of physicians and nurses due to calls for military service, so there was a shortage of medical personnel to meet the civilian demand for health care during the 1918 flu pandemic. In Massachusetts, for example, Governor McCall asked every able-bodied person across the state with medical training to offer their aid in fighting the outbreak.
As the numbers of sick rose, the Red Cross put out desperate calls for trained nurses as well as untrained volunteers to help at emergency centers. In October of 1918, Congress approved a $1 million budget for the U. S. Public Health Service to recruit 1,000 medical doctors and more than 700 registered nurses.
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Risk Of A Flu Pandemic Is Ever
Four pandemics have occurred in the past century: 1918, 1957, 1968, and 2009. The 1918 pandemic was the worst of them. But the threat of a future flu pandemic remains. A pandemic flu virus could emerge anywhere and spread globally.
CDC works tirelessly to protect Americans and the global community from the threat of a future flu pandemic. CDC works with domestic and global public health and animal health partners to monitor human and animal influenza viruses. This helps CDC know what viruses are spreading, where they are spreading, and what kind of illnesses they are causing. CDC also develops and distributes tests and materials to support influenza testing at state, local, territorial, and international laboratories so they can detect and characterize influenza viruses. In addition, CDC assists global and domestic experts in selecting candidate viruses to include in each years seasonal flu vaccine and guides prioritization of pandemic vaccine development. CDC routinely develops vaccine viruses used by manufacturers to make flu vaccines. CDC also supports state and local governments in preparing for the next flu pandemic, including planning and leading pandemic exercises across all levels of government. An effective response will diminish the potential for a repeat of the widespread devastation of the 1918 pandemic.
Visit CDCs 1918 commemoration website for more information on the 1918 pandemic and CDCs pandemic flu preparedness work.
When Should I Get My Flu Vaccine
Flu vaccine effectiveness can have a lot to do with when you get it. Its recommended to get your flu vaccine about 2 weeks before flu season begins in your area preferably by the end of October. However, if you get the flu vaccine too early July or August, for instance you may not be protected for the entire flu season.
While September or October are the ideal times to get your flu vaccine, its still recommended to get it later than that if you were unable to do so earlier. If youre unsure when flu season begins in your area, talk to your local pharmacist or healthcare provider.
If youve recently received or will be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine including booster doses you dont have to wait a certain time to get the flu vaccine. You can even get them on the same day, if thats more convenient. These two vaccines arent known to interfere with each other.
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What Are The Negatives Of Getting A Flu Shot
sometimes, they cause mild side effects, such as pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site. some people may experience low grade fever, headaches, and muscle aches after the shot, but these should only last 12 days. in very rare cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome can develop following a flu shot.
Who Can Get A Moderna Booster Shot Right Now
On Nov. 19, all US adults — those age 18 and older — became eligible to receive COVID-19 booster shots. They qualify if it’s been at least six months since they’ve received a second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster dose after two months. Adults are encouraged to get whatever booster dose is available to them, even if that means mixing and matching vaccine boosters , in other words, getting a different booster shot than their original vaccination.
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What To Do If You Experience Side Effects After The Covid
Not all coronavirus vaccines are the same. Some tend to cause more side effects after the first dose, others cause more side effects after additional doses. The very common side effects are the same and should still only last a day or two, the NHS website advises.
It suggests that if you feel uncomfortable, you can rest and take paracetamol, following the dose advice in the packaging.
Symptoms following vaccination normally last less than a week. If your symptoms seem to get worse or if you are concerned, you can call NHS 111.
For those with specific concerns or who want to read about different vaccinations in depth, Dr Nikki Kanani, Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England and NHS Improvement, and the woman responsible for leading the UKs Covid-19 vaccine rollout in primary care, recommends starting with the NHS website. But, she previously told Stylist, getting the vaccine is the single most important step anyone can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities against Covid-19.
If you have any medical concerns, please consult your doctor for advice. For information on what to expect at your appointment and side effects see Public Health Englands advice here or visit the NHS website.
Can My Child Still Get The Flu Even If They Have Had Flu Vaccination
Vaccination is not 100% effective for all people, so some vaccinated people may still get the flu. If they do, symptoms are usually milder than if they had not had flu vaccination. If you’d like to know more about the effectiveness of flu vaccination, see the influenza immunisation information on the IMAC website.
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What Are The Benefits Of The Flu Vaccination
Getting the flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu.
- You are likely to have fewer sick days and fewer days away from work or school.
- Even if you still catch the flu despite having the vaccination, your symptoms are likely to be milder.
- Having a flu vaccine every year can keep older people healthy and active for longer.
- If you are pregnant, it protects you and your baby against the flu.
- Even if you don’t feel sick, without the vaccine you could still be infected with the flu and pass it on to others.
The First Flu Vaccine Is Introduced
Soviet scientist A.A. Smorodintseff made the first attempt to vaccinate people with a live influenza vaccine. Following in the footsteps of Louis Pasteurwho had made the first known attempt to vaccinate humans with a live, attenuated viral strain of rabies in 1885Smorodintseff passed the live flu virus about 30 times in eggs, so it lost its virulence. He reported that those injected with the modified virus developed a slight fever but were protected against reinfection.
The attenuated virus was then used for mass production of a vaccine that was largely administered to factory workers, who were susceptible to outbreaks due to close working conditions.
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Viral And Host Factors
Virus proteins
Multiple viral and host factors affect the pathogenesis of the virus. The S-protein, otherwise known as the spike protein, is the viral component that attaches to the host receptor via the ACE2 receptors. It includes two subunits: S1 and S2. S1 determines the virus-host range and cellular tropism via the receptor-binding domain. S2 mediates the membrane fusion of the virus to its potential cell host via the H1 and HR2, which are heptad repeat regions. Studies have shown that S1 domain induced IgG and IgA antibody levels at a much higher capacity. It is the focus spike proteins expression that are involved in many effective COVID-19 vaccines.
The M protein is the viral protein responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrients. It is the cause of the bud release and the formation of the viral envelope. The N and E protein are accessory proteins that interfere with the host’s immune response.
Host factors
Human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is the host factor that SARS-COV2 virus targets causing COVID-19. Theoretically, the usage of angiotensin receptor blockers and ACE inhibitors upregulating ACE2 expression might increase morbidity with COVID-19, though animal data suggest some potential protective effect of ARB however no clinical studies have proven susceptibility or outcomes. Until further data is available, guidelines and recommendations for hypertensive patients remain.