Flu shot or not?

Flu shots are vaccines made to fight the influenza infection and are considered completely safe for anyone who is older than six months old. Flu shots are vital not only for protecting yourself but also those around you from the flu virus and its complications.

You might be wondering how often are these flue shots being administrated? Well, flu shots are usually given to people once a year from October to mid-November. Yes, it's important to get a new flu shot every year, as each year the flu shots are different to adapt to the newest variation — otherwise it will no longer be effective for preventing the flu.

Are you wondering if you should get the flu shot or not? Here's everything you need to know about the flu shot — how effective it is, possible side-effects, and more.

Children under the age of 9 who have never had a flu shot will need two doses of the vaccine, given at least 4 weeks apart. However this doesn't mean that all children should get flu shots, but if a child is in one of the high risk groups or if he or she has contact with someone in a high risk group, then it should get one every year. Most of the people understand the importance of a flu shot for elderly, particularly those above the age 65, but many people overlook the fact that children need the same kind of protection.

What is influenza?

The flu or influenza is a specific viral infection caused by influenza virus. It is very contagious because it can be spread from person to person in secretions of the nose and lungs, for example when sneezing. Flu represents a respiratory infection, or infection that develops primarily in the lungs. A lot of people are making a mistake by reffering to every respiratory infection as flu eventhough there are many other viruses causing similar respiratory problems.

Symptoms of influenza 

A lot of people think that cold and flu are the same, but this isn’t true and flu symptoms can be much more severe. Influenza usually comes suddenly and may include the following symptoms:

• headache
• cough,
• sore throat,
• nasal congestion
• higher fever,
• more malaise,
• severe body aches

Although other viruses may cause the same symptoms, they do so less commonly. The symptoms are usually mild to moderate in most people, but can be more severe in the elderly or very young children, causing thousands of deaths each year.