Influenza Vaccine: The Basics

The most effective way of preventing the flu is with an influenza vaccination. Every fall you should be immunized against strains that have developed since the previous outbreak. If you are vaccinated against one or more strains, you may still come down with flu, but your symptoms are likely to be milder than they would have been had you not had an influenza vaccination.

Influenza vaccine is available through physicians and public-health facilities and many companies provide flu vaccines on-site for their workers. Because influenza is a serious threat, the CDC recommends vaccination for everyone over 50; babies ages 6 months to 2 years old; nursing-home residents and employees; anyone whose immune system is compromised by AIDS, cancer, or other chronic ailments like diabetes, heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD; and people who work in medical facilities.

The vaccine is available in two forms. One is the injectable vaccine made from an inactivated virus. This form is usually given as a single injection and is approved for people 6 months of age or older. The other form is given as a nasal spray called FluMist. This form of the vaccine is a live and weakened form of the flu and is approved for all healthy people 5-49 years of age who are not pregnant. If you are pregnant you can only receive the injectable form, preferably in your second trimester, and make sure your doctor approves of the vaccination. Both vaccines are given as a single dose, although children less than 9 may receive two. Some people develop low fever and muscle aches as side effects of the vaccine. Because the vaccine is grown in chicken embryos, it should not be given to people allergic to eggs.

All four of the medicines mentioned at the end of the conventional medicine section can be used to prevent influenza, but only Relenza and Tamiflu can prevent both influenza A and B. It takes at least two weeks for the vaccine to take effect, so if you are in the midst of an outbreak during the two-week period after getting the vaccine, it may be worth taking one of these medications.

Here are more preventive measures you can take during flu season:

• Quit smoking. The bad habit damages your respiratory tract. And watch the alcohol, since drinking it, like smoking, can lower your resistance to infection in general.
• Avoid sleeping in a room with someone who has flu. The virus is easily spread in the air.
• Wash your hands often to kill or rinse-off viruses you may have picked up by touching contaminated objects such as doorknobs or phone receivers.
• Try to avoid crowds, and give people who are coughing or sneezing a wide berth. Airplanes are especially effective at exposing people to flu viruses because cabin air is recirculated.
• Keep up your resistance by following a good diet, drinking lots of fluids, and getting plenty of rest. Stay warm and dry so that your body can fight off infection by flu and other viruses.