Vaccine against the flu

Everyone knows about the flu and has probably had it at once in their life. What most people don’t know is that the correct name for the flu is Influenza and that it is similar, but more serious than the common cold.

Influenza manifests with a general feeling of discomfort, and also brings on symptoms such as a high fever, chills, coughing, headaches and fatigue. It is caused by a ribonucleic acid virus (or RNA virus), which means that RNA is in the genetic material of the virus. The flu can also cause nausea and vomiting, especially when it comes to children. An untreated influenza can lead to pneumonia.

The vaccine for influenza is commonly known as the flu shot. It is administered annually to people across the globe. With influenza being an infectious disease, it is transmitted easily from host to host, which makes people ill depending on the season. The virus is airborne and is often caught by a large number of people at a time, which only leads to even a bigger number of infections occurring.

The flu vaccine is able to protect from the virus by combining three variations of the original virus. These are the H3N2, the H1N1 and the B viruses. Since influenza mostly occurs in early winter or early spring, mostly due to atmospheric and temperature changes. Just one infected person can lead to a breakout of the virus for miles. The vaccine is administered before the flu season begins.

Though symptoms are treatable and a vaccine exists, influenza can sometimes prove fatal and statistics show that in the past 50 years or more, a total number of around 40 thousand people died every year. Influenza is particularly dangerous to small children and among the elderly. Vaccination against influenza is vital for these age groups as well as in the case of those who have immunity problems, as their system cannot manage a strain like this.