No Flu for You!

How $20 will keep you healthy this season

Flu season is almost here. From late October through May, millions experience influenza, with hundreds of thousands ending up hospitalized, and tens of thousands who don’t survive. (CDC) You can catch the flu from someone who is standing up to six feet away from you. It can be contagious a full day before symptoms even begin to appear.

 

Avoid the Flu with the Proven Flu Vaccine

While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research suggests will circulate the most this season. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every fall. A flu shot takes about two weeks to give you full protection and will last through the end of the season. Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza (CDC Flu Facts). In previous years, flu vaccines have been available as an injection or a nasal spray. The CDC is exclusively recommending the injection vaccine for the 2017-2018 flu season. The vaccine is offered in trivalent and quadrivalent forms. At iCare, we offer the quadrivalent flu vaccine at both our Frisco and Fort Worth. The quadrivalent flu vaccine is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.

 

Can a flu shot give you the flu?

No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. The quadrivalent vaccine cannot cause influenza illness because the vaccine viruses used to make it are ‘inactivated’ (killed) or attenuated (weakened). Most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur.

 

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The effectiveness of the vaccine can vary from year to year and will change depending on the age and risk factors of an individual. The Center for Disease Control reports that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine takes only a few minutes to get and can reduce your chances of contracting the flu significantly. Stop by today for your flu shot!