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As we get into this year’s flu season, your physicians at the Carroll County Medical Society would like to encourage you to get your flu vaccine. It’s a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones against influenza.
Thousands of people in the United States die from flu-related illness every year, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized. While all ages are affected, people aged 65 or older are more likely to be hospitalized and more likely to die from the flu. The flu vaccine can protect you from flu-related illness, hospitalization, and death.
While no vaccine is 100 percent effective, the flu vaccine can decrease your chances of severe illness and death. The vaccine helps your immune system prepare to fight the flu, so that if you become infected, your body can fight it off more effectively — it’s like giving your body the answers to the test, before it has to take the test. Those who are vaccinated against the flu are also less likely to spread the virus to others. This herd immunity helps to protect those who are at high risk of serious illness, and those who are unable to be vaccinated.
One of the most common misconceptions we hear about the flu vaccine is that it gives you the flu. The vaccine contains inactivated parts of the virus, which helps your immune system recognize the virus and make the antibodies it needs to protect you, but it does not cause actual infection with flu. It is common for people to have some mild flu-like symptoms, like fatigue and headache, and this is due to your immune system responding to the vaccine to make antibodies (Think about it like going to the gym, you might be a little sore after a good workout, but overall, it helps you build strength).
Many people also feel that the flu isn’t very dangerous, and they don’t really need a vaccine for it. However, flu can cause very serious illness and death, especially in infants and the elderly.
As with all vaccines, you should ask your doctor if getting the flu vaccine is right for you. It’s a safe way to help keep yourself and your loved ones protected.
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