Well known and far from benign, the flu still kills today in France. Vaccination remains the only means of protecting oneself against the virus and avoiding its complications. The flu vaccination campaign is starting and will last until January 31, 2015.
Notification to elderly people but also to children and adults, particularly those with chronic diseases (heart diseases, asthma, diabetes…). Why? Simply because the flu, in addition to its usual effects, risks worsening their condition. In addition, the vaccine also spares close ones, especially vulnerable people, or for health professionals, the patients they care for. Because the flu is a very contagious disease. Although it often heals spontaneously, it can sometimes lead to serious complications and be dangerous.
How to proceed?
Since the viral strains encountered vary from one year to the next, it is imperative to get vaccinated every year. Warning: it takes about two weeks after the vaccine to be protected. One annual injection is sufficient, but for children under nine years who have never been vaccinated against the flu, two injections, four weeks apart, are necessary. Finally, it is recommended to get vaccinated every year because the protection is not permanent (between 6 and 12 months).
And if I am pregnant?
A pregnant woman has an increased risk of pulmonary and cardiac complications if she contracts the flu in the 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine helps to avoid the risk of hospitalization and heavy treatments… It is therefore not dangerous! Furthermore, the maternal antibodies produced during vaccination pass through the placenta and protect your baby until the age of six months.
And the vaccine, “is it risky”?
Surely not! The complications from the flu are much more severe than the possible side effects of the vaccine (pain at the injection site, mild fever). In addition, the vaccine does not give you the flu: the virus present is inactive. Antibody stimulation may generate a sort of “flu-like syndrome,” namely mild flu symptoms that do not last long… and which are not the flu! Admittedly, the vaccine does not guarantee 100% protection and a vaccinated person can contract the flu. But the effects are most often mitigated.
The right actions
The flu is mainly transmitted through hands, coughing, and sneezing. Therefore, you should:
-> wash your hands several times a day
-> cover your mouth every time you sneeze
-> use disposable tissues and throw them away after each use
Note that health insurance fully covers the cost of seasonal flu vaccines for people aged sixty-five and over, as well as for those suffering from certain conditions or obesity.
Learn more about seasonal flu: www.sante.gouv.fr
