Flu shot good preventive medicine

DR. MARK ROTH Mark.Roth@UHhospitals.org

The flu season is rapidly approaching and we all want to take whatever measures are available to prevent getting the flu. Influenza, also known as the flu, is an annual occurrence consisting of a viral infection that affects our sinuses and lungs.

accompanied by a parent or guardian. Teens between 17 and 18 can’t drive unaccompanied between 1 and 5 a.m., and again, they can have only one nonrelative passenger. There are then no restrictions once drivers turn 18.

Parents play a very large role teaching and enforcing safe driving habits. They are encouraged to create parent-teen driver agreements before allowing their teens to drive unaccompanied. This should include promises from teens to follow driving rules, to always wear a seat belt, to minimize distractions, to avoid using a phone while driving and to drive only during agreed-upon hours. Parents can also use this as an opportunity to review responsible driving habits, such as driving only with parents’ permission, paying for any tickets and only driving under certain weather conditions.

If the teens break their side of the contract, parents should revoke driving privileges for a specific amount of time. Parents should also agree to provide a safe ride home if their teens don’t feel comfortable driving themselves or getting a ride with friends.

Most important, parents should always be good role models behind the wheel. By teaching our kids safe driving habits and by exhibiting these when we are driving, we can help lower the number of teen driver accidents and make the roads safer for everyone.

The usual symptoms are cough, fever, headache and muscle aches although the severity of the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Anyone who has ever had the flu knows how bad it can feel. Most years the flu virus causes more serious cases of illness in young children, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems of any age (for example people with asthma, cancer, emphysema, diabetes, AIDS, kidney or liver disease).

There are several strains of the influenza virus that can cause people to become ill. This year’s flu shot contains ingredients that will try to protect against those strains that are felt to be most likely to circulate in our country. There is also a high dose flu vaccine which is available this year for adults who are age 65 and older. September, October and November are the best months to receive your flu vaccine although it takes about two weeks from the time a person receives the vaccine, to build up an immune response against the flu virus. If a person doesn’t receive the vaccine this fall, it is still beneficial to get vaccinated even as late as February 2019.

Because the flu viruses do change from year to year, it is important to receive the flu vaccination on an annual basis. Last year’s vaccine may not protect you from this year’s viruses.

We know that flu shots save lives but there are some individuals who should not get a flu shot. If a person is known to be allergic to eggs, they should avoid the regular flu vaccine because of the possibility of an allergic reaction. The reason is that most types of flu vaccines do contain a small amount of egg protein. There are however vaccines that do not contain egg proteins, and if you are allergic to eggs, you should speak to your physician about this option. The other category of people who should not get a flu shot are those individuals who have had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccine.

The flu vaccine is available either as an injection into the muscle of the arm or via a nasal spray. The injection isn’t a live virus. The nasal spray option is approved only for people between the ages of 2 and 49.

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine can vary from year to year. On average the vaccine is about 60 percent to 90 percent effective in preventing the flu. In some cases, when the vaccine doesn’t prevent the flu, it can still lessen the severity of the flu illness in the affected individual, as well as the risk of flu complications.

To summarize, the flu vaccine is a person’s best defense against the flu. However there are additional measures that a person can take to reduce the risk of the flu. These include washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, using an alcohol-based sanitizer on your hands if soap and water aren’t available, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth whenever possible, and avoiding crowds when the flu virus is prevalent in the community. If one does become ill with the flu virus, it is best to stay home to avoid spreading the illness to others who will really not appreciate it if you give it to them.