August Flu Shot: Your Best Bet for Avoiding Influenza

AENT Team

August 15, 2016

Allergy

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2016 and is filed under Blog by AENT Associates

It doesn’t have to be flu season for you to get the flu. That’s why it’s important to get your flu shot whenever it becomes available, not when the winter months arrive. At Allergy & ENT Associates, we offer the flu shot to our patients as a means to continue keeping them healthy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend all people ages 6 months and up get a flu shot. Vulnerable populations, like the elderly, children, and pregnant patients, especially need the flu shot to protect them from illness.

What Is the Flu Shot?

The flu vaccine is an injection of inactivated (dead) flu virus. When the virus enters your body, your immune system starts making protective antibodies against the flu. This way if your body is exposed to the flu virus again, it will be ready to fight off the virus.

A common misconception about the flu virus is that it can make you sick. Since the virus isn’t living, it can’t actually give you the flu. But while your immune system is working to build up immunity, it’s possible you may feel more tired than usual. Your arm may also feel achy from where the injection went in.

When and Why Do I Need the Flu Vaccine This Year?

There are many, many types of flu viruses. Each year, flu shot manufacturers try to pinpoint the most likely causes of the flu virus. They then incorporate these viruses into the shot. Because a flu virus can “evolve,” it’s important to get a flu vaccine every year to make sure you have the latest and greatest protection against flu.

At Allergy & ENT Associates, we recommend starting early to get your flu shot. August is an ideal time to go ahead because the shot can take a few weeks for your body to build up immunity. This makes your body prepared to fight against the flu when more people are indoors in the winter months and more likely to transmit the flu.

It’s true the flu shot doesn’t 100 percent guarantee you won’t get the flu. Since there are so many flu types out there, you could get a rarer case. However, it’s important to protect yourself whenever possible. The flu not only makes you feel very ill, it can worsen other conditions you may see our specialists for, such as asthma. Getting your flu shot is a very easy way to protect against a possible one to two weeks of misery while having the flu.

Flu Vaccinations in Houston

Ready to get your flu shot? Call (713) MY-SINUS to learn how you can protect yourself against the dreaded flu.

This entry was posted in Allergy on August 15, 2016 by AENT Team.

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