Seasonal Flu Resource Center Blog
Why even young, healthy people should get the flu vaccine
This is the first year the CDC is advising that all people over 6 months of age get their flu shot, regardless of how healthy they are. This is because in 2009, healthy people between the ages of 18-49, once largely unaffected by influenza, became more highly susceptible to the H1N1 flu virus.
Here are five reasons why you should still get the flu vaccine, even if you are young and healthy:
- Getting vaccinated reduces your risk of becoming sick and having to miss school or work as a result.
- The flu can lead to other complications, such as pneumonia, and in extreme cases, be fatal, even if you have a strong immune system.(As evidenced by the 2009 flu season)
- You may carry risk factors you are not aware of that increase your chance of getting the flu.
- Getting vaccinated reduces your risk of becoming infected with the virus and subsequently passing it on to friends and loved ones who are at higher risk, such as infants, pregnant women, or the elderly.
- Getting vaccinated is the single best way to benefit your health and the health of those around you this flu season[1].
In the past, people often thought they should weigh the risk of getting the vaccine against the risk of not getting it. This methodology has changed. In February 2010, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination in the U.S. to expand protection against the flu to more people. This includes children as young as 6 months, because the risk to their health is much greater if they do not receive the vaccine. While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, it’s especially important that certain people get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications.
Getting vaccinated takes only a matter of minutes, it may just be the easiest health decision you’ll ever make.
Find a flu clinic location near you to receive your vaccine today.
1 www.cdc.gov/flu
No related posts.