The Importance of your annual flu vaccination

Have you ever wondered why there’s such a push every fall to vaccinate against the flu?  Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, and even death. Getting the flu vaccine can lower your risk of contracting the flu, but possibly even more importantly, it lowers your risk of transmitting the disease to others. 

The CDC recommends that everyone six months of age and older get an annual flu vaccine. This leaves infants under the age of six months and certain others who can’t vaccinate or don’t mount a robust response to vaccination, such as the elderly or immunocompromised, vulnerable to infection.  So it’s up to those of us old enough and healthy enough to vaccinate to protect the vulnerable. 

Here are some other reasons to consider vaccinating this fall:

• Vaccinating against the flu prevents illness, medical visits, lost days of work, hospitalization, and death.

• Flu vaccination is especially important for those with chronic conditions and has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease.

• Vaccinating while pregnant helps protect pregnant women from illness and hospitalization AND helps protect the baby for months after birth!

• Flu vaccines help reduce the severity of illness in those who still contract the flu.

• You won’t get the flu from a vaccine.

• A “needle-free” nasal version is available for certain individuals between the ages of 2 and 49.

• THE FLU VACCINE SAVES LIVES! Not just yours, but so many others who depend on us for their continued health and well-being.

It is important to vaccinate every fall as Flu viruses are constantly changing, so the vaccines are updated from year to year.

Have questions about the Flu vaccine? Talk to your provider or contact your local health department to learn more!