Page 20 - KootenaiHealth

moRe to kNow aBout the flu VacciNe

P eRHAP S I T SHoUld B e cAl l ed THe boomerang bug.

year after year, the fu returns to wreak havoc on the young, the old and everyone in between.

yet there is a way to fght back against this seasonal menace: Get an annual fu vaccine.

W h y g e t I t ?

Along with protecting yourself against the fu, getting vaccinated also helps you avoid spreading the virus to others. Both are important, because the fu can make people seriously sick.

Flu can cause high fever and pneumonia and make existing medical conditions worse. It can also cause diar-rhea and seizures in children.

And every year, thousands of people die from the fu and many more require hospitalization, according to the centers for disease control and Prevention (cdc).

W h o s h o u l d g e t I t a n d W h e n ? The cdc recommends that nearly everyone older than 6 months get the fu vaccine. It’s particularly important that people who are at high risk for getting severely ill with the fu, and people who regularly come in contact with them, be vaccinated. That group includes:

• Pregnant women

• children younger than age 5

• People 50 and older

• Anyone with certain chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or asthma

• People living in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities

• Health care workers

The best time to get the fu vaccine is before the fu season starts. But it’s oK to get it in the winter.

t h e f l u Protect

yourself and your family

While vaccination is the best protection from getting the flu, you’ll also want to consider the following.

Not everyone should get vaccinated. You should not get the flu vaccine without talking to a doctor if you have: • A fever • A severe allergy to chicken eggs • Had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past

• Developed Guillain-Barré syndrome within six weeks of getting a flu vaccine Also, children younger than 6 months should not get the vaccine.

Two types of flu vaccine are available. One is given by injection (a shot), and one is sprayed into the nostrils. The nasal spray is an option only for healthy

people ages 2 to 49. It’s not approved for pregnant women.

Unlike in the past, you don’t need two vaccinations. There’s now one vaccine that protects against both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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