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Health

Vaccine against the flu: which one is better to choose and when to conduct?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 20.10.2021
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The vaccine against influenza protects a person against the severe consequences of influenza and reduces the risk of the disease by almost 2 times. Thanks to the vaccine, the disease is transferred much easier, if a person even gets the flu, and the severity of the symptoms also decreases significantly. Not to mention deaths, which are almost 2 times less after mass vaccinations. Which flu vaccine works best and when should it be done?

Why do I need a flu vaccine?

Scientific experiments that have been conducted over the past few years have shown that, thanks to vaccines, the course of the flu is much easier or the disease does not appear at all. In addition, during the research it was proved that the vaccines are easily transferred by man, they well stimulate the human immune system, and also reduce the risk of epidemics.

Among the most effective vaccines that are recommended for protection against influenza:

  • Influwak
  • Grippol
  • Vaxigrip
  • Begrivac
  • Fluarix
  • Agrippal

These drugs meet all the requirements of pharmacological international organizations that control the production of vaccines. The level of protection of these vaccines is very high - more than 70%. This is a very effective level of protection against influenza. It allows you to avoid complications in the flu, deaths and epidemics.

Why do I need a flu vaccine?

It has been proved by science that vaccination in teams in only 20% of employees significantly reduces the risk of epidemics and the number of diseases. This applies to both influenza and acute respiratory infections.

Vaccines that fight the flu are called the medical term of the trivaccine. This name is given to vaccines because of the fact that they contain antingas against the three most popular and dangerous influenza viruses: A, B, C.

Who should be vaccinated?

First of all, vaccination is made for those people who are at risk of getting influenza (but only on condition that they agree, and this consent must be in writing).

  1. People in old age - over 60 years of age
  2. People with chronic diseases, hospital patients
  3. Children and adults, with bronchopulmonary diseases, especially with bronchial asthma
  4. Children and adults with heart and vascular disease
  5. Children and adults with diseases of the respiratory system
  6. Children and adults who a year ago were treated in the hospital for renal and hepatic disorders
  7. Children and adults who underwent chemotherapy, including one year ago
  8. Nurses, doctors - employees of medical and school institutions
  9. People who work in numerous groups (and children attending kindergartens, schools)
  10. Residents of dormitories, communal apartments, nursing homes, as well as those who are in prison.
  11. Pregnant women in the second or third trimester (on the recommendation of a doctor)

How is the flu vaccination performed?

The vaccine is usually injected into the shoulder, into the deltoid muscle region (this is the upper third of the shoulder muscle). After the vaccine, you can not wet the site of the injection for a day, as an inflammatory reaction of the skin may occur. In addition, if you are told that you can not take alcohol after the vaccine, keep in mind that this information is incorrect.

The vaccine can also be administered through the nose by instillation (children are told that these are "droplets"). In this case, the body's response to viruses and bacteria is weaker than when injected, which explains the unpopularity of this method of vaccination in our time.

If the vaccine is given to children who have not received it before, and who have not already had the flu, the vaccine should be taken not 1, but 2 times. Between the introduction of the vaccine should take 30-35 days. But the dose of the vaccine should be less than for the adult - exactly half.

When should I get the flu vaccine?

Usually vaccination against influenza is done during October-November, about a month before the height of the flu. During the time when people begin to massively get sick with the flu, the vaccinated form stable immunity to the viruses that cause the flu.

The average term for the formation of a stable immunity against influenza in humans is from 10 days to 2 weeks from the moment the vaccine enters the human body. Earlier in October, doctors believe, the vaccine does not make sense, because the effect of the drug is gradually decreasing, and the body may again be weakened by the beginning of the height of the incidence of influenza.

What are the types of flu vaccines?

There are two types of vaccines: live (with living viruses that are already weakened and adapted to the human body) and inactivated (which live viruses do not contain).

What is the most effective vaccine against influenza?

Doctors recommend choosing in most cases inactivated vaccines (example - Influvac). In these vaccines there are no live viruses, and therefore they are more easily tolerated than those with live viruses in the composition. Non-living vaccines contain either particles of already destroyed viruses, or surface antigens of the influenza virus.

The safety of these vaccines is combined with very good immune support of the body. After the introduction of these vaccines, a person will not get sick with the flu unless some new unrecognized virus appears.

If a person hesitates, which vaccine to choose - domestic or imported, qualified doctors usually recommend import. They have more degrees of purification and purification degree these are step-wise, multi-stage. In addition, at any stage of the vaccine production, laboratory specialists carefully monitor all processes. Therefore, adverse reactions to these vaccines are minimal - the allergy does not occur even in children who have not turned a year old, as well as in pregnant and breast-feeding mothers.

A flu vaccine can save you from many troubles and save you a lot of working hours. So do not give it up if you care about your health.

Contraindications for the introduction of a vaccine against influenza

Since chicken protein (most often) or preservatives can be used in the production of influenza vaccine, it is not possible to administer it to people who are allergic to these substances.

  • You can not inject a flu vaccine before the age of six months
  • The vaccine is contraindicated in chronic diseases in the acute stage - then it is necessary to wait another month after the person has recovered and will receive a vaccination permit from the doctor.
  • The vaccine can not be taken to those who previously received the vaccination, but it was very difficult to tolerate it.
  • You can not do the vaccine to those people who have had cold or flu less than two weeks ago.

trusted-source[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]

What are the complications after vaccination against influenza?

They are divided into two groups - systemic complications and local.

Systemic complications after vaccination are an allergic reaction of the whole organism, for example, headaches, breath holding, heart rate failures, fever, blood pressure jumps, muscle and joint pains, meningitis and so on.

Local complications after a vaccine - is the response of some one system of the body, but not the whole organism. It can be a sore throat or headache, or redness of the skin at the site of the vaccine, or a runny nose.

In case of complications after the vaccine, you need to tell the doctor about it, so that he advises what measures to take.

Do I have to pay for a flu vaccine?

To those people who are listed in the list of clients necessary for vaccination, the vaccine is introduced free of charge - at the expense of the state program to fight the flu. If the vaccine is not enough or the person is not sure of its quality, he can get it in those places that he trusts (basically, state polyclinics or centers with them). The patient has the right to pay for the vaccine and services for its introduction on the spot.

But if the flu vaccine was purchased in one place and introduced in another, keep in mind that the doctor has the right to refuse to introduce it. The basis - the doctor can not guarantee the result from the introduction of a drug of unknown origin, as well as with unknown conditions of storage and transportation. Also, the doctor can not predict the allergic reactions of the body to this drug.

You do not need to pay for vaccination if the firm where the person works is paying for it. It often happens when the company's management worries about the health of the entire collective and orders a massive vaccination. In this case, a commercial contract is concluded with the polyclinic where the vaccination is carried out, and the employee of the company is obliged to fulfill his conditions. He can not come to the vaccination. Is that only he has contraindications to the introduction of the vaccine.

trusted-source[11], [12], [13], [14]

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