In the past two years, due to the impact of the epidemic and people’s emphasis on health, many people have begun to develop the habit of injecting flu vaccines in autumn and winter, but some people have never been vaccinated against influenza, thinking that influenza vaccines are ineffective and may have side effects. And more people are in a wait-and-see state. So, is the flu vaccine useful? How are the side effects? Who should be vaccinated? Let’s make it clear today!

There are mainly two types of influenza, which are more widely contagious, have more symptoms, and are severe and may even cause serious illness.

Influenza is different from the common cold. The most important characteristics of influenza are epidemic and contagiousness. Influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza virus. There are four types of influenza virus (A, B, D, or ABCD), but only Influenza A and B can cause the prevalence of seasonal influenza, including two subtypes of H1N1 and H3N2 of type A, and two strains of influenza B virus, Victoria and Yamagata.

Influenza may cause symptoms including fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, runny nose, sore throat and cough, etc. The above are only mild symptoms of influenza, similar to the common cold; for moderate and severe cases, the infected person will have nausea Gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea (similar to gastrointestinal cold symptoms) may even lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, myocarditis, nephritis and other serious secondary infections or neurological diseases, and these moderate and severe symptoms have no obvious signs. Infection has a trigger chance, and getting the flu shot can help reduce the chance of infection.

The influenza vaccine for injection is an inactivated vaccine. Generally, the side effects are small, and the manufacturers are different. If there is a choice for the injection of the vaccine, you can confirm with the epidemic prevention agency and choose the vaccine from the manufacturer that you feel safe.

The elderly should get the flu vaccine, which can prevent severe illness and reduce mortality

The protection of influenza vaccine to people may vary with age or physical condition. The effective rate fluctuates greatly, generally about 3-80%, and the protection against hospitalization of adults over 18 years old due to confirmed influenza is about 4%. The protection against severe influenza in the ward can reach more than 80%.

Influenza vaccination for children and adolescents aged 6 months to under 18 has similar protection to adults, but it can reduce the chance of 5-60% for the elderly, and can reduce the mortality rate by 80% for serious complications of influenza, Therefore, the elderly should have regular flu shots to protect themselves.

It should be noted that the flu vaccine needs to be separated by more than 7-14 days from the COVID-19 vaccine, and you should actively inform yourself of your vaccination history before getting the flu vaccine.

What are the common side effects of the flu vaccine?

Although the flu vaccine has been used for so many years and has fewer side effects, it does not mean that there are no side effects. The common side effects mainly include the following:

1. Slight side effects of the vaccine

The main symptoms are that the injection site is red, swollen and painful, and a few people will have mild systemic reactions, such as: fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, itchy skin, rash, etc. These symptoms generally appear 1-2 after the injection Natural recovery within days.

2. Serious side effects of vaccines

These side effects usually appear within minutes to hours after the injection, including acute allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock (difficulty breathing, hoarseness, swelling of the eyes, dizziness and rapid heartbeat, wheezing, etc.), these symptoms are very common Low, and usually occurs in a lot of time, so after the injection, the medical institution will let the injector rest for half an hour before leaving. If the above serious symptoms appear after vaccination, seek medical treatment immediately.

4 precautions for getting the flu vaccine

In order to prevent the harm of potential flu vaccine side effects, vaccinators should pay attention to 4 aspects:

1. There is a small chance that allergic reactions will occur after vaccination and eventually lead to anaphylactic shock. In order to be able to carry out medical treatment immediately after the incident, the vaccine should be rested and observed in the injection institution for at least 30 minutes, and then leave after no symptoms.

2. People who use antiplatelet, anticoagulant drugs or those with abnormal coagulation function should press the needle hole for a while after injection to avoid bleeding or hematoma.

3. After vaccination, you should pay attention to whether there is persistent fever. Generally, you should pay special attention to it for more than 2 days. In addition, if you have abnormal symptoms such as difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, changes in consciousness or behavior, you should seek medical attention immediately, and inform the doctor about the vaccination status when you see a doctor .

4. After completing the vaccination, although the risk of contracting influenza virus can be effectively reduced, it is still possible to suffer from other respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia .

5 types of people not to get the flu shot

5 major groups of people are not suitable for the flu vaccine:

1. People who are allergic to vaccine ingredients, the influenza vaccine is mainly not suitable for people who are allergic to ovalbumin

2. People who have had serious adverse reactions to vaccines

3. Babies born under 6 months

4. Others who are not suitable for vaccination by doctor’s assessment

5. People who have had Guillain-Barre syndrome at the time of vaccination

In addition to the above precautions, many people have some misunderstandings about the flu vaccine injection, thinking that they don’t need to get the flu vaccine if they rarely get sick; Which statements are correct?

5 myths about getting the flu shot

1. Can you get a flu shot without catching a cold?

Many people think that the flu is similar to the symptoms of a cold. If you get the flu shot, you will avoid the cold and you will not get any cold. In fact, the causative agent of the common cold may come from hundreds of different viruses and bacteria. Unlike the flu, the common cold may not have a strong infection, but it does not mean that the vaccine is effective against all colds.

In addition, there are individual differences in the protective effect of influenza vaccination, and a small number of people may also suffer from colds or other influenza viruses under the condition of insufficient self-protection. In addition, after the completion of the flu vaccination, protection will take at least 2 weeks, not immediately after the vaccination.

2. Can you not get the flu vaccine if you are seldom sick?

For the flu, everyone can get the flu. Only the risk of illness is different and the symptoms are distinguished. Similarly, even people who rarely get sick will still get sick from the flu virus, so the best way to fight the flu is to Get a flu shot every year.

Although most people infected with influenza have mild symptoms and can recover in about 1 week, high-risk groups such as the elderly, children and chronic patients are prone to complications after contracting influenza, such as pneumonia, nephritis, encephalitis, myocarditis, etc. Symptoms, and even lead to death, so this group of people should pay special attention to it, and it is recommended to get the flu vaccine regularly every year to prevent complications caused by influenza.

3. Can’t I get the flu vaccine if I have a cold?

Since the influenza vaccine is an inactivated vaccine, that is, the virus in the vaccine is an inactive virus, so even if the injector has mild illnesses such as colds, diarrhea, allergies, etc., it will not affect the vaccination. For more serious problems, it is recommended to suspend the vaccination first, and then consider vaccination after the symptoms are cured or the condition is stable, if:

fever

have a serious medical condition (such as cancer)

Immunocompromised or long-term use of immune-suppressing drugs (such as steroids or anticancer drugs)

Allergy to vaccine ingredients

Have had severe side effects from the flu vaccine

4. You got the flu vaccine last year, so you don’t need to get the flu shot this year?

Due to the strong variability of influenza virus and the slightly different strains of the virus circulating every year, the last vaccine was not immune to viruses of different antigenic types, and the protective effect would also be reduced.

In addition, even if the influenza virus does not mutate and the vaccine components are the same, the protective effect may decrease after 4-6 months of vaccination, and the protection usually does not exceed 1 year, so it is recommended to vaccinate once a year.

5. Can the flu vaccine be played with other vaccines?

Influenza vaccines will not interfere with their inactivated vaccines. They can be vaccinated at the same time or after a period of time, such as common childhood vaccines such as Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine and Japanese encephalitis vaccine. However, in order to prevent side effects, it is best to vaccinate before vaccination Doctors should be informed of any other recent vaccinations.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, some people may consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine in addition to the flu vaccine. In order to avoid side effects, it is recommended that the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccination should be at least 7 days apart. is 14 days.