January 17
6 Flu Shot Facts To Share With Employees Before Flu Season Hits
Before the flu season starts in New Zealand, many businesses, schools, organisations and shops start their preparations to help their employees get the flu shot. But there are still those who become too busy with a lot of things that they at times forget to get ready for it. People who’ve been down with the flu know how bad it could be if you get sick with it.
It’s no surprise that business owners make great efforts to help their employees get vaccinated. Most of them avail of the flu shot, but there are still some who hesitate about getting it. You can sign them up and hold an onsite mobile flu vaccination service at your workplace.
Here are some settled facts about flu shots that you can share with your employees before the start of the flu season in New Zealand:
1. You Won’t Get Flu From The Flu Vaccine
There’s a misconception, long debunked but still persistent, that there’s a slight possibility for people who get the flu vaccine to become sick of the flu itself. This is far from the truth.
The vaccine won’t cause the flu. The vaccine is made from inactivated flu viruses and only contain the part of the virus that triggers your body to produce an antibody response to the flu viruses in the vaccination. It’s not possible for you to get the flu from the flu vaccine
There are times when someone who’s administered the flu shot would experience some normal and expected side effects. But these are just mild and generally disappear within 1 to 2 days after vaccination and aren’t the same strong symptoms that you experience when you catch the flu.
2. The Flu Vaccine Protects You Against Various Strains
The seasons of flu epidemics experienced in New Zealand every year are caused by two kinds of flu viruses—the human influenza A and B. Healthcare workers don’t just give any kind of vaccine. They do their research and try to predict what kind of flu would be the most common for that coming season. Makers of flu vaccines produce those which will be most needed based on this forecast.
Flu vaccines are made to protect against these viruses:
- Influenza A (H3N2) virus
- Influenza A (H1N1) virus
- The two layers of the influenza B virus
The yearly season of flu outbreak is often commonly caused by any of these influenza viruses, or any combination of them. As shown in numerous accounts over the years, flu shots for the three kinds are most suitable for those aged 65 years or older.
3. It Takes About Two Weeks Before It Works
Health professionals say that it’d take up to two weeks before a flu vaccine can work to give the person who received the shot immunity from getting sick with the flu. The way the flu vaccine works is it instructs your body to produce the proteins which your immune system would need to combat the flu viruses if they get into your system. It usually takes up to two weeks before your body can produce enough of the proteins needed to build up your body’s defense against thru flu.
4. Some People Should Consult A Doctor
Healthcare experts recommended that everybody aged six months and older should consider having themselves administered the flu vaccines every year. The reason for this is that their immunity from getting the flu shot wanes over time. However, some people should consult their doctors before getting the flu shot. People who have severe allergies to some of the ingredients of the flu vaccine should first see their doctor.
5. Flu Vaccine Can Make Symptoms Less Severe
By having yourself vaccinated, your chances of not getting the flu are significantly improved. In fact, past studies have shown that you lower the possibility of acquiring the flu by 40-60% by having the flu shot. But the good thing is that even if you still do get the flu after having yourself vaccinated, the severity of the symptoms you’ll experience or suffer will be significantly less than if you didn’t get yourself vaccinated.
Conclusion
Some people still have a lot of misconceptions about getting the flu shot. There are still persistent urban legends that they can get the flu just by having themselves vaccinated with the flu shot. Employers can do a lot to quell these unfounded notions by sharing with their employees some common facts about flu vaccines and how these can protect them.
If you’d like to talk to us about our Auckland mobile flu shot service please contact us on 0800 357 357.
