The kids are back in school, the weather is turning a little cooler and the leaves are falling off the trees – and while winter is still several months off, it is not too soon to start thinking about getting yourself and your family vaccinated against the flu! Every year, millions of people get infected with the flu, hundreds of thousands of people get hospitalized and thousands of people die from the flu or related-causes. Getting the flu vaccine can help protect you and your family from these dangers!
How does the flu vaccine work exactly? When you get the flu vaccine, it develops antibodies in your body over the following two weeks. This allows your body to be able to fight off any of the viruses that are in the vaccine. Each year, there is research that shows which strains of the flu will be most widespread over the coming season, and the seasonal flu vaccines will typically include those viruses. If you have questions about which flu viruses you are being vaccinated against, do not hesitate to ask your doctor.
The flu vaccine is for everyone that is 6 months and older, and there are certain groups that are at a higher risk for contracting the flu and having additional complications from the virus. These groups include adults over 65, pregnant women, people with diabetes or HIV and more.
Walk in. Be seen. Get your flu shot!
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/index.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fflu%2Fabout%2Fdisease%2Fhigh_risk.htm