Flu Vaccination
Why should people get vaccinated against the flu?
Influenza (flu) is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza can affect people differently, but millions of people get flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. Flu can mean a few days of feeling bad and missing work or it can result in more serious illness. Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations, and even the risk of flu-related death in children. While some people who get a flu vaccine may still get sick, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce the severity of illness.
How do flu vaccines work?
Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies protect against infection with circulating influenza viruses.
Seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. All flu vaccines in the United States are “quadrivalent” vaccines, which means they protect against four different flu viruses; an influenza A(H1N1) virus, an influenza A(H3N2) virus, and two influenza B viruses.
What kinds of flu vaccines are available?
CDC recommends the use of any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine during the influenza season. Available influenza vaccines include quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines [IIV4s], recombinant influenza vaccine [RIV4], or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV4). No preference is expressed for any influenza vaccine over another.
What are the benefits of flu vaccination?
There are many reasons to get an influenza (flu) vaccine each year. Flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against flu and its potentially serious complications. The CDC has a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.