Get the vaccine, not the flu!

 

The Celt's Healthwise columnist, Dr Michael McConville is advising all of those in 'at risk' groups to avail of their free flu vaccine and not to get the flu this winter. His comments come in the same week that the HSE has launched its vaccine campaign...

Influenza, commonly known as 'the flu’, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing and feeling tired. These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and most last less than a week. In children, there may be nausea and vomiting.
Usually, the virus spreads through the air by coughing or sneezing, over relatively short distances. It is also spread by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. A person may be infectious to others before they show any symptoms. Influenza spreads around the world in yearly outbreaks, resulting in about three to five million cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. Sometimes the virus mutates and renders any immunity we may have almost entirely lost. This results in pandemics or worldwide spread of the disease at relentless and frightening speed. There have been many such mutations in relatively recent decades. In Ireland, the Spanish Flu of 1918 caused over 10,000 deaths, and in the US the same strain killed 269 people in Boston alone in a single day.
The greatest problem with the virus is its ability to combine with bird viruses to produce new strains that then become transmissible from human to human. Every year there are new strains of flu, which result in smaller, more local epidemics that can be just as deadly. These new strains are put into the most up-to-date vaccine, which changes every year.
The very young, elderly and already infirm patients are the most susceptible. One of the ways that each of us can contribute to the containment of Influenza is by vaccination.
Vaccination has been shown through international studies to be as much as 60% effective. The more people who receive this injection, the greater becomes the immunity of the human herd, which creates a more significant barrier to the chances of an epidemic.
There is a terrible myth abroad that the flu vaccine can give you the flu. This is utterly impossible as the vaccine itself contains nothing that is alive. Small parts of the targeted flu strain are isolated. These are the elements that identify the flu to the body but on their own cannot cause any disease. The immune system learns the form of these proteins, so that if a person becomes infected, you can begin to fight the disease immediately before it takes hold.
Getting any vaccine may cause a mild reaction similar to a cold, which is proof that it has worked. It is best to get your vaccine from a GP as it works best when combined with a special pneumonia vaccine. Every person who suffers from any long-term illness for which they have to take medication should receive both vaccines. It is vital for carers of elderly or infirm patients, and every health care workers to receive the flu vaccine. I have had it every year since 1997 and have not had a single reaction.

 

Vaccine campaign launched this week

Meanwhile, this week, the Community Health Organisation (CHO) Area1 Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan & Sligo) Flu Vaccine Campaign was launched by Tommie Gorman, RTE Correspondent.

Launching the campaign Tommie stated: 'For several years the Flu Vaccine service has helped to keep people like me alive and healthy. I have what’s described as a chronic illness and I am one of the many people who are strongly advised to get the Flu Vaccine jab. So for obvious reasons I am delighted to be involved in the launch of this energetic campaign in our region.  Seeing is believing - at the launch, here in Ballyshannon, I’m availing of the opportunity to get my injection.”

Flu can be a very serious and sometimes deadly disease, with potentially 1,000 flu related deaths in Ireland during a severe flu season.  Flu is very infectious and can cause potentially serious illnesses especially forolder people, those who have a chronic illness, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women. Seasonal flu vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy and also protects the baby. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu as it does not contain any live flu virus and all those at risk should get vaccinated as soon as possible this year to make sure that they are protected.