Autumn, in addition to the picturesque golden landscape, brings with it the threat of various colds, including influenza. The flu vaccine has been debated for several years. The time when vaccination should be done is of great importance. Of course, it makes no sense to get vaccinated against the flu in the summer. The best time is autumn. It is noted that in Russia, the outbreak of the flu epidemic falls on the period from November to March.
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What processes in the body occur after vaccination?
- after vaccination, the active production of antibodies in the body occurs within two to four weeks;
- The number of antibodies produced after vaccination decreases over time, as a rule, after six months it goes to zero. Therefore, vaccination in advance does not make sense.
It is recommended to vaccinate in early and mid-autumn - then by the beginning of winter you will be immune to seasonal flu. However, if you did not have time to get vaccinated in the fall, but still want to be safe, the question arises: does it make sense to get vaccinated in winter, which is at the peak of the spread of infection?
We will answer that, of course, it is worth it, since there are no contraindications to get vaccinated against the flu even in the midst of an epidemic.
Another question arises if you are already familiar with the flu vaccine and have had it in the past year. When to get vaccinated in this case? There is an opinion that it is not necessary to do the influenza vaccine annually, once every three years is enough.
But this is just an opinion not based on medical facts, in order to avoid the flu during its outbreak, you need to be vaccinated every year. There is a logical explanation for this.
After all, every year viruses are modified and become more resistant, so vaccines change and improve every year, including new viral strains. Well, as we have already noted, after six months, the concentration of antibodies in the body decreases, which means that the risk of getting sick with seasonal flu increases.
When it comes to the vaccine, it is necessary to remember about contraindications. The influenza vaccine is no exception, it also has contraindications. Let's make a reservation right away, the flu vaccine will not provoke influenza and will not aggravate the disease if you are already sick. The probability of getting sick after vaccination is one percent. Flu vaccination is especially indicated for a group of people who are more likely to reduce immunity, and these are children, the elderly and pregnant women.
Contraindications are as follows: allergic reaction to the previous vaccination, allergy to chicken protein (it is part of the vaccine), asthma, stage 2 and 3 hypertension, acute influenza, kidney and adrenal diseases, diseases of the nervous and endocrine systems, diseases of the upper respiratory tract that have become chronic, lung disease. Do not give the flu vaccine to children under six months of age.