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KEVIN RODBELL: Every year
the flu is different,
and every year the vaccine has
to be tailored to that moving
target of the flu.
Because the flu is so pervasive
when it goes around
and it can be so dangerous,
this vaccine, although it gets
a bad rep, saves lives.
A person can either get a flu
shot as an injectable vaccine,
or the vaccine can be delivered
directly into the nose.
It's a small droplet of about
0.2 milliliters.
The youngest of the young,
who are potentially
at the highest risk,
are not able to get the flu
shot.
It's only approved for children
aged six months and up.
Those babies rely on everyone
else getting the flu shot.
Now, there's
an interesting circumstance
that we can talk about.
Moms who are breastfeeding who
get the flu shot transmit
the antibodies to their babies.
That means that when a mother
gets a flu shot,
she's protecting her infant.
In fact, even a pregnant mother
who gets the flu shot
transfers the antibodies
that she generates
to her unborn baby.
So when the baby comes
into the world, boom.
Already has a leg up.
I would call the flu vaccine one
of the greatest life--
and quality of life-- saving
measures
that have come around
in the 20th century.
The best way to treat the flu
is to prevent it.
Get yourself vaccinated.
Get your kids vaccinated.
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