3 reasons you need a year of flu shots

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3 reasons you need a year of flu shots

For the past two years, the flu has essentially been MIA, with cases falling sharply along with social distancing, mask-wearing and other measures people have had to take to slow the spread of COVID.

But this year the influenza virus, rusty and dusty as it is, seems likely to be making a comeback – and that means it’s more important than ever to get the flu shot, experts say.

Typically characterized by fever, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue, the flu can become serious or life-threatening, particularly for babies and the immunocompromised, pregnant women and the elderly. It can cause complications such as pneumonia and inflammation of the heart, brain, or muscle tissue. The virus can also worsen chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease.

About 20,000 to 40,000 people can die from the flu each flu season, which generally begins in October and can extend into May. (Peak months are generally December through February.) The 2017-2018 season was particularly bad, with 52,000 deaths.

However, that number dropped to an estimated 5,000 to 14,000 deaths in 2021-2022, which was lower than any of the 10 flu seasons before the pandemic. The year before, influenza activity was so low that the CDC couldn’t even produce exposure estimates, which it does every year.

With cases expected to rise this season, getting a flu shot can help keep risks at bay. There are at least two main reasons why you should get one every year: your immunity to vaccinations and infections decreases over time, and flu viruses are ever-changing, meaning any protection you’ve acquired from previous seasons is this year zip might mean.

Another reason it may be particularly important to get the flu shot this year is that after two years of little or no exposure, your protection against the virus may not be the best in relative terms.

“In other words, vaccination makes more people resistant to infection the following year because they have this vaccine-induced immunity, which then may have been boosted by infection,” said Johns Hopkins virologist Andrew Pekosz. “But without [getting infected] For a number of years, we’ve been at risk of even more people being susceptible to flu than usual, and that’s another reason why we’d worry about a big flu season when flu comes back.”

Here’s everything you need to know about getting flu shots this flu season.

Why you should get the flu shot this year

The US is looking at the flu season in the southern hemisphere, which is earlier than in the north, to get a sense of how the virus might behave. Unfortunately, Australia’s battle with the flu this year has been of particular “concern,” Pekosz said.

The country not only had a high number of cases, but also earlier than usual.

“Those two things are of concern to us as we now consider how to prepare for a possible flu season, along with maybe some COVID increases,” Pekosz told BuzzFeed News, “especially as we are all working indoors again the schools full-time, and we are no longer doing many of our public health interventions.”

And based on Australian data to date, children in the US may be more likely to be affected by the flu this season, Pekosz said: “These are people who haven’t been exposed to the flu as often, who haven’t seen much of the flu season and maybe even have been.” more vulnerable than older parts of the population.”

Also COVID prevention measures like masks have decreased significantly compared to the last two years.

Vaccination usually provides protection for the duration of the flu season. You can still get sick, but getting the flu shot should reduce your chances of needing emergency medical help. A 2021 study found that adults who received a flu shot had a 26% and 31% reduced risk of being admitted to the ICU and dying from the flu, respectively, compared to unvaccinated adults.

Flu vaccines protect against four flu viruses that can circulate in a given season. So if the vaccine doesn’t adequately protect you from one of them, it may still protect you from the others.

However, as with the COVID vaccines, this protection may diminish over time. A CDC analysis of the effectiveness of flu vaccines from 2011 to 2015 found that protection decreased by about 6-11% per month, depending on the virus strain affected, and remained intact for about five to six months after vaccination. In general, the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases slightly faster in people aged 65 and over.

What you should know about this year’s flu shot

First and foremost, everyone from 6 months of age should get the flu shot, health officials say, with some specific recommendations or exceptions based on age, health status and history of allergies.

And yes, you can get any of your COVID vaccines and/or booster shots at the same time as your flu shot. Most health experts, including Pekosz, recommend it, mainly for its convenience. (Just don’t get an injection if you still have COVID; wait until you recover so you don’t infect anyone in the process.)

The best time to get a flu shot is in October, but if you miss this window, you should still get it as soon as possible. It’s better late than never as flu season becomes more unpredictable and generally shifts to later in the year, the CDC says, with some seasons not peaking until March.

And similar to the COVID vaccination, you should still get the flu shot even if you already have the flu because the vaccine may protect you from other circulating flu viruses.

This year, the CDC is recommending that people age 65 and older get a higher dose or a flu vaccine with an adjuvant (an extra ingredient that improves the immune response): Fluzone, Flublok, or Fluad — all of which can cause more temporary side effects like headaches, fatigue, Muscle aches and pain at the injection site for about one to three days. The new recommendation is based on evidence showing that these shots are more effective in older adults than the standard shots that are still recommended for all other age groups.

The guidelines are particularly important because people aged 65 and over are more likely to suffer serious consequences from the flu. The CDC says about 70-85% of flu-related deaths and 50-70% of hospitalizations occur in this age group.

Other people at risk of severe influenza infection include those with chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or asthma, pregnant women and children under the age of five, especially children under the age of two.

The good news so far is that this year’s flu shot appears to match the viruses currently circulating, Pekosz said, but given the lack of flu cases in recent seasons, “we’re really concerned that we haven’t picked up enough strains to really feel good about it.” to get how the virus has fared during the pandemic.”

There’s typically a gap of about nine months between scientists deciding which viruses to target for next year’s flu vaccine and the time to vaccinate people, Pekosz said, meaning they’re making decisions before the current flu season is even over . “It’s not an ideal place,” he added, given that the circulating influenza viruses can still mutate towards the end of the season.

The delay ultimately depends on how the flu vaccine is made, which is a much longer process than that of COVID vaccines. Both Moderna and Pfizer, the companies behind the coronavirus vaccines, are conducting clinical trials for their own influenza vaccines — a development that Pekosz says would be “a real game changer” because “we could wait until the end of the flu season to do that.” making decisions about the right virus strains and being better prepared for the following flu season.”

In the meantime, wearing a face mask in crowded indoor spaces and staying home when sick certainly helps. And remember: There are four different and effective antiviral drugs that can help you feel better and prevent serious illnesses; They work best when taken within 48 hours of the onset of your symptoms, the CDC says.

“The more you can do to protect yourself from serious illnesses, the better,” Pekosz said.

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