Don't Let the Flu Get the Best of YOU!

            You’re hot one minute and then you’re cold the next with shivers running through your body. You sneeze and cough to no end. The box of tissues at your bedside becomes your best friend. You might sleep all day and miss out on everything at school. This doesn’t sound like a fun way to spend your days, so do something about it! Don’t let the flu get the best of you.

The flu can be easily prevented with a flu vaccine! Each year between 5 and 20 percent of Americans will come down with the flu (DHHS 2012), and each year students like you miss school because of the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 38 million school days are missed each year due to the flu (2011). Flu vaccines are the simple answer to this problem. The seasonal flu vaccine is not 100% effective, but the CDC data on effectiveness of the vaccine says that 7 out of 10 people vaccinated normally do not get the flu (2012c).

Misconceptions about the Flu Vaccine

The flu vaccine is an instant fix if I have the flu.

False! The flu vaccine introduces antibodies for the flu and those antibodies take about 2 weeks to create immunity strong enough to fight off the flu (CDC 2012c).

I cannot get the flu if I get the vaccine.

False! There still are the risks that either, your body is already fighting the flu or that in the two weeks when you are trying to gain immunity, you come in contact with the flu (CDC 2012c).

The side effects of the vaccine outweigh the benefits of getting the flu vaccine.

False! The common side effects of getting the flu vaccine include a sore arm, redness around the injection site, and rarely someone might faint (solved by seating those particular patients in a chair) (CDC 2012b).

I’m young and healthy!  I don’t need the flu vaccine.

False!  You may be young and healthy, but that doesn’t mean that everyone around you is as well. Consider your grandparents, elderly neighbors, the new baby in your family, someone you know who has cancer or other chronic illnesses (CDC 2012c). Also, just because you are healthy now doesn’t mean you won’t get the flu. In addition to putting others at risk, getting the flu can prevent you from going to school, playing sports or participating in other extracurricular activities, attending the big dance, and/or have no fun for 3-14 days (CDC 2012a).

Once I get the flu vaccine, I don’t have to worry about washing my hands before I eat or anything like that.

False! The flu vaccine protects against three of the most common types of the flu. This means that there are other strands out there that you are still susceptible to (CDC 2012c). Always practice good hand hygiene (NIH 2012). Also, don’t forget, it takes two weeks for our bodies to really build up the resistance we need to prevent the flu.

I hear the flu vaccine is LIVE! That means I am going to get the flu because I had the vaccine.

False! There are two ways to receive a flu vaccine: the traditional shot and the new nasal spray (FluMist® or LAIV). The traditional shot does not contain the live virus, and it is used for healthy people and for people who have chronic conditions or who are pregnant. However, the nasal spray DOES contain a very small amount of weakened live virus, and it is only recommended for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49 (CDC 2012a).

Questions about the Flu Vaccine

When should I get the flu vaccine?

You should get the flu vaccine every year in the fall when it comes out. The sooner, the better! The sooner you get the vaccine, the sooner you will have the antibodies necessary to protect yourself from the flu. When the flu vaccine is released is variable, but normally by September or October you should be vaccinated (CDC 2012c).

Why should I get the flu vaccine as a teenager?

There are three BIG reasons to get the flu vaccine as a teenager.

1.      You are helping to protect the people you come in contact with whom have weaker immune systems including grandparents, family or friends with chronic conditions, and any infants you may with whom you have contact (CDC 2012c).

2.      If you have a chronic illness like asthma, other chronic lung diseases, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, etc. you should be vaccinated against the flu (CDC 2012c)

3.      You are increasing the likelihood of being able to have fun and participate in activities instead of having to stay home with the flu.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

Most of the population should get the flu vaccine! This means anyone who is over 6 months old should be vaccinated (CDC 2012a). There are certain populations that especially should be vaccinated. These include people with diabetes, asthma, chronic lung disease, pregnant women (!), and people older than 65 years old, medical or care professionals, and anyone else who runs the risk of developing serious complications from the flu such as pneumonia (CDC 2012c).

Who should NOT get the flu vaccine?

There is a much shorter list of people who should not be vaccinated including those allergic to chicken eggs, those who have had a severe reaction in the past to the vaccine, children under 6 months old, those with moderate to severe illnesses that they are still recovering from and those with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (CDC 2012c).

After I get the vaccine, how can I still prevent the flu?

There are three main actions for preventing the flu besides getting vaccinated.

1.      Cover your mouth when you cough, but with your elbow, not your hand.

2.      Wash your hands often! Use soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

3.      If you already have the flu, STAY HOME! (Clay 2012)

How long does a flu vaccine protect for?

The flu vaccine will protect you against the flu for 6-8 months (NIH 2012). This means two things. First, it means that we don’t have to get the vaccine more than once per flu season and second, it means that we DO have to get a new one every year.

How does the flu spread?

The flu’s main mode of transportation is from person to person. This can happen when people shake hands after coughing, when someone coughs or sneezes without covering his/her mouth, or by touching a surface that has been contaminated by someone who has the flu (DHHS 2012).

What are the signs and symptoms of the flu?

The flu is a virus that can affect your nose, throat, and lungs. Common symptoms of the flu include fever, chills, sweating, sneezing and coughing, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, feelings of tiredness, and sore throat (CDC 2012c).

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012a, August 6). CDC Features. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from Your preteens and teens need vaccines too: http://www.cdc.gov/features/preteenvaccines/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012b, June 11). Preteen and teen vaccines. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from Flu vaccine for preteens and teens: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/vaccines/flu.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012c, July 6). Seasonal Influenza. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, November 17). Adolescent School Health. Retrieved September 24, 2012, from Infectious Disease at School: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/infectious/index.htm

Clay County Public Health. (2012). Seasonal Flu. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from http://www.co.clay.mn.us/Depts/PHealth/PHFlu.htm#How_do_I_prevent_the_flu

Dept. of Health and Human Services. (2012, September). Flu.gov. Retrieved September 20, 2012, from Seasonal Flu: http://www.flu.gov/about_the_flu/seasonal/index.html

National Institute of Health. (2012, September 10). Injecting Truth into Flu Vaccine Misconceptions. Retrieved September 20, 2012, from http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/flu/Pages/inject_truth.aspx

Colleen Schmittgens