Fending Off the Flu
Experts, including infectious disease specialists from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, are in the process of developing vaccine recommendations to protect against the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Until then, doctors say it’s still important to protect yourself against the regular flu. Thousands of elderly people, young children and people with compromised immune systems die each year from the influenza virus or its complications. And many more suffer with flu symptoms: fevers, chills, sore muscles and coughs.
Each year, scientists develop new vaccines to protect people against prevalent flu strains, and those vaccines typically are available in late October or early November. Check with your doctor to see when you can get the vaccine.
There are two types of flu vaccines: a flu shot and a nasal spray.
- The shot contains killed (inactive) viruses, so it is not possible to get the flu from this type of vaccine, says Robert W. Frenck Jr., an infectious disease specialist at Cincinnati Children’s. The shot is approved for people age 6 months and older.
- A nasal spray-type flu vaccine uses a live, weakened virus to help the lining of the nose fight off actual viral infections. It is approved for healthy people aged 2 to 49 but should not be used in people who have asthma or children under age 5 who have repeated wheezing episodes.
Within two weeks of getting vaccinated, most people are protected from the flu. Side effects, such as the risk of allergic reaction, are rare
Who Should Get a Vaccine?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, recommend a yearly flu vaccine for anyone who wants to reduce their risk of the flu, particularly:
- Children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years
- Children over age 5 who have a higher risk for serious illness
- Household caregivers of children or adults with high-risk conditions
- People age 50 or older
- Those with chronic lung or heart disease
- People with sickle cell anemia or other hemoglobinopathies
- Those who live in nursing homes or extended-care facilities
- People with chronic health problems
- Those who have kidney disease, anemia, severe asthma, diabetes or chronic liver disease
- People with a weakened immune system (including those with cancer or HIV/AIDS)
- Those who receive long-term treatment with steroids for any condition
- Pregnant woman
- Health care providers
- People who have in-home contact with children who are younger than 5 years old
- People who provide essential community services
- People living in dormitories or other crowded conditions
- Any adult ages 18 - 50 who wants to reduce their chance of getting influenza
Who Should Not?
The CDC says the following people should talk to a doctor first:
- Those who have had a severe allergic reaction to chickens or egg protein
- People with a fever or illness that is more than “just a cold”
- People who have had a moderate to severe reaction after a previous flu vaccine
- Those who have ever been paralyzed because of Guillain-Barre syndrome
Prevention Best Medicine
Just like schools across the country, the staff at Cincinnati Children’s is bracing for a bad flu season. And while know one knows how bad the flu will be this year, “We do know that the seasonal flu will be here,” Frenck says. “That’s why immunization is so important.”
