Contents
- Why does the flu vaccine change every year?
- How long does immunity to the influenza virus last?
- What will you get if you get a flu shot? What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
- How dangerous is the flu for people?
- Can the flu be cured?
- What medications are effective for preventing influenza?
- Why are flu vaccinations so popular in Europe and America?
- What causes influenza?
- What is the difference between influenza and acute respiratory viral infections?
- Do antibiotics help with the flu?
Why does the flu vaccine change every year?
How long does immunity to the influenza virus last?
What will you get if you get a flu shot? What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
How dangerous is the flu for people?
Can the flu be cured?
What medications are effective for preventing influenza?
Why are flu vaccinations so popular in Europe and America?
What causes influenza?
What is the difference between influenza and acute respiratory viral infections?
Do antibiotics help with the flu?
Why does the flu vaccine change every year?
The influenza virus has the unpleasant property of rapidly changing its structure, so every year the incidence is caused by a different strain of the virus, and scientists have to annually develop new types of vaccines that protect against this particular strain.
How long does immunity to the influenza virus last?
After a single immunization, persistent immunity to a specific strain of influenza virus develops, which does not extend to new strains that may arise in the next epidemic season. That is why vaccination must be repeated annually.
What will you get if you get a flu shot? What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
Timely vaccination significantly reduces the likelihood of getting the flu, prevents severe disease, reduces the risk of complications by 80%, and mortality by 90%. You also significantly reduce the risk of spreading infection among your loved ones and relatives. At enterprises, the employer also receives an economic benefit, because employees miss less work due to illness in the autumn-winter period.
How dangerous is the flu for people?
First of all, severe and super-severe (hypertoxic) forms of influenza and its complications pose a danger to the patient’s life. The reason for the development of complicated forms of influenza is its ability to suppress the body’s defenses and affect the wall of blood vessels, which leads to the addition of bacterial infections. Most often, the course of influenza is complicated by pneumonia, sinusitis, and otitis media. Damage to the heart muscle is a fairly rare but deadly complication. Lethal complications from influenza primarily threaten young children and people over 65 years of age.
Can the flu be cured?
Influenza is a viral infection, therefore those medications that can suppress the replication of the virus are effective in the earliest stages of the disease, in the so-called prodromal period. During the period of advanced clinical manifestations, antiviral drugs do not work.
What medications are effective for preventing influenza?
Prevention of influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections should be comprehensive, of course, the most effective factor is immunization, however, it is additionally necessary to harden the body, observe simple hygiene measures (frequent hand washing, ventilating the room, wet cleaning), while being in an epidemic focus, use additional preventative medications.
Why are flu vaccinations so popular in Europe and America?
First of all, the preventive approach to acute infectious diseases is popular in those countries where the working population does not want to be excluded from active professional life due to a sudden illness. People in developed countries are accustomed to planning any event in their lives in advance, so they view routine vaccination as a means of preventing unexpected illnesses.
What causes influenza?
Influenza is caused by a highly contagious virus, i.e. easily transmitted by airborne droplets from person to person. The influenza virus has 3 different varieties – A, B and C. The culprit of the most severe epidemics is the influenza virus type A, therefore vaccination is aimed at preventing the incidence of this particular type of virus. Epidemics of influenza type A are recorded approximately once every 1-2 years, influenza type B causes outbreaks of the disease approximately once every 3 years; influenza type C occurs in the form of isolated cases of the disease or localized outbreaks in isolated groups or in weakened people.
ARI (ARVI) is the collective name for acute infectious diseases that occur with fever and affect the upper respiratory tract. Thus, influenza is a type of acute respiratory viral infection (ARI), representing the most severe variant of the disease.
Do antibiotics help with the flu?
Antibacterial drugs do not act on the influenza virus, but can improve the prognosis of bacterial infections, which often complicate the course of influenza. Due to serious side effects (such as disorders of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys), antibiotics are prescribed only by a doctor and only as indicated.