The H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 has led to renewed attention on flu vaccines among health officials and the public. For most people, a flu shot prevents you from getting the flu by giving your body the opportunity to develop immunity against the flu viruses currently circulating in the population.
Avoid Getting the Flu
As anyone who has ever gotten the flu can attest, it is no fun to have the flu. Influenza can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms including fever, chills, headache, extreme tiredness, muscle and joint aches, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.
The flu can last from a few days up to two weeks. Not only is getting the flu unpleasant, but it can also cause you to lose time from work or school. A flu shot (or the flu vaccine nasal spray) is an easy way to avoid the unpleasant experience of getting the flu and all of the associated disruptions to your daily life.
Avoid Serious Health Risks or Complications
Although most people who get the flu recover on their own, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 200,000 people are admitted to the hospital and roughly 36,000 people die each year in the United States because of influenza-related complications.
No one wants to be hospitalized, let alone have his life put in danger---especially when it is avoidable. CDC states that getting a seasonal flu shot can reduce the chances of getting the flu by 70% to 90% in healthy adults.
Protect Your Family and Friends
When you get a flu shot and protect yourself from getting the flu, you are also helping your family and friends avoid the flu. If you are immune to the flu, you have eliminated the possibility of being a human host that can pass the virus on to others.
Protect Your Unborn or Newborn Baby
CDC has warned that pregnant women are more likely to develop serious health problems related to H1N1 influenza than nonpregnant adults are. Pneumonia and early labor are two serious risks for both the mother and her unborn baby. A flu shot is the most effective way to avoid these potential complications of H1N1 influenza. Preservative-free flu shots are available, which eliminates the concern many pregnant woman have about the mercury in the vaccine preservative thimerosal.
When a pregnant woman becomes immune to the flu, her baby also benefits. The mother's immunity is passed on to her baby and lasts for up to six months after the baby is born.
Protect Your Community
The vulnerability of a community to the flu is directly related to how many people within that community have immunity to the virus. Therefore, when you get a flu shot, you have not only protected yourself and your family, you've also helped protect the unvaccinated people in the larger community in which you live.
