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Flu (Influenza) Prevention

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U can help prevent influenza (flu).

The flu is a contagious potentially serious respiratory illness that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. The first and most important step in protecting U and your family from the flu virus is to get a flu vaccine each year.

Stay healthier this fall. Get your flu shot.U can prevent FLU

  1. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.
  2. Cover your cough and wash your hands.
  3. Spread the word to overcome common flu myths.

Do U know about the FLU?

Myth: The Flu is just a bad cold. If I get it, I won’t be down for long.
Reality: While it’s true that some flu and cold symptoms can be similar (runny nose, sore throat, achiness), the flu also targets your lungs and if left untreated can lead to bronchitis, pneumonia, severe dehydration and hospitalization.


Myth: The flu vaccine will give me the flu.
Reality: No, flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines given with a needle (i.e., flu shots) are made with either inactivated (killed) viruses, or with only a single protein from the flu virus. That crippled microbe itself is incapable of infecting the body and reproducing itself, which is what would make you sick.

Myth: I’ll get sick from the flu vaccine.
 Reality: Some people report having mild side effects after flu vaccination. The most common side effects from flu shots are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur. If these reactions occur, they usually begin soon after vaccination and last 1-2 days.

Myth: I don’t need the flu shot, it’s for elderly, pregnant or immune compromised people.
Reality: The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exceptions.

Myth: It’s too late to get the flu vaccine.
 Reality: Not at all. If you have not been vaccinated by Thanksgiving (or the end of November), it can still be protective to get vaccinated in December or later. Flu is unpredictable and seasons can vary. Seasonal flu disease usually peaks between December and March most years, but disease can occur as late as May.
 

Myth: I got a vaccine last year. I don’t need to get it this year. Reality: You really need a flu shot every year. A person’s protection from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccination is needed to get the “optimal” or best protection against the flu. Additionally, flu viruses are constantly changing, so the vaccine composition is reviewed each year and updated as needed based on which influenza viruses are making people sick.

Myth: The flu vaccine doesn’t really work.
Reality: It is true that the flu vaccine doesn't always work but it prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year. According to the CDC, it is effective in preventing a recipient from getting the disease about 60 percent of the time. The protection provided by a flu vaccine varies from season to season and depends in part on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine and the similarity or “match” between the viruses in the vaccine and those in circulation.

Source: CDC