If you don’t know anything about the flu, heres a quick summary:
The flu is caused by influenza viruses that infects the nose, throat and lungs. It is a contagious respiratory illness that can spread through droplet nuclei from infected people when they talk, sneeze or cough, which I think makes the flu dangerous because it can easily be contracted. It is a common illness that many people get, and it is easily preventable with annual vaccinations. People with the flu may experience sudden onset fever, coughs, chills, sore throat, chills, and muscle or body aches and many more. Even though this is a common illness, there is no definite vaccine that can cure all influenza viruses.
Flu epidemics are occurring every year because the virus can change every year by acquiring mutations in their surface proteins haemagluttinins and neuraminidases, which help name the flu viruses . These surface protein mutations allow the virus to enter the immune system more easily if the person does not have the right vaccination against it because the immune system does not have the appropriate receptors for the virus, and therefore cannot bind to them. I believe that this virus’s ability to become highly changeable is not only dangerous for the human population, but it has also helped us learn much more about viruses and vaccinations, so it’s not all bad with the flu! But let’s get to the real question here: how effective is the flu vaccine every year?
During seasons when the flu virus in well matched to the flu vaccine, flu cases decrease between 40%-60%. This is also due to the fact that if you had had the flu, you are better immune to whatever strain you had because you have memory B cells that recognize that certain strain. However, influenza is constantly changing, and even though we have excellent predictions on the what flu virus is going to come this year, there are some factors that affect the effectiveness of the vaccine such as age/health and the similarity between the flu virus the vaccination is protecting from and the circulating flu virus within the community. The flu vaccine is highly effective, reducing deaths as well of hospitalization of children and adults, however not for the elderly. The vaccine is highly effective for two stains of the virus, Influenza B or A (H1N1) but not Influenza A (H3N2) because it that certain strain is even more unpredictable since it is changing at a more aggressive rate that we cannot predict a well-matched vaccination for.
Even though the flu virus is changing every year, the CDC (which conducts studies to predict the appropriate vaccine to use every year), makes/predicts effective vaccinations that are beneficial either way. I suggest everyone to get the flu vaccine every year, it will definitely prevent unwanted sickness and time off from work or school if you have the unfortunate chance of acquiring the sickness. If you do find yourself with the flu symptoms. make sure to stay home and get some rest! There is no cure for the flu, there are medications to help with symptoms, and the sickness should last approximately 7-10 days! Make sure to also cover your mouth, since these pesky invaders can easily spread through the air.
Virulent Girl 