CDC urging public to get their flu shots

CDC urging public to get their flu shots

The common flu vaccine is an annual vaccine to cover the flu season.

As the season picks up, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging people to get flu shots before it is too late, reports KETK News.  Last season was the worst in flu season history, hospitalizing more than 3,000 people and killing 169 children.  The flu vaccination has the potential to protect millions, but only 40 percent of eligible individuals actually get their flu shot.  Flu shots sometimes run out, so the CDC is urging people to get their shots sooner rather than later, when they may already have gotten sick and shots may not be available.

According to the CDC, seasonal influenza is a viral, contagious, respiratory illness.  Certain populations, such as the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems, are more at risk for contracting the virus.  The illness ranges in severity, but certain health conditions can complicate the virus, and there is a small risk of death.  Every year, about 20 percent of Americans get the flu.

As noted in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the CDC, officials estimated that, during the 2012-2013 flu season, vaccination prevented an estimated 6.6 million influenza cases that would have required medical attention or hospitalization.  Vaccination also prevented an estimated 3.2 million medically attended illnesses.  However, less than half of individuals over the age of six months were vaccinated, demonstrating that the impact of vaccination could have been greatly increased.

The CDC explains that the common flu vaccine is an annual vaccine to cover the flu season.  The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the strains that research indicates will be the most common during the upcoming season.  There are also traditional flu vaccines, which are non-seasonal flu vaccines that protect against H1N1, H3N2, and influenza B.  Flu vaccines come in a number of forms, including standard and high doses, as well as one that uses a smaller needle and a nasal spray for those that do not want an injection at all.

A new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, discusses a discovery that could lead to the development of a universal influenza vaccine.  The researchers used the 2009 H1N1 pandemic as a natural experiment to determine if existing cellular immunity could limit the symptoms seen in individuals without influenza antibodies.  Specifically, the study looked at the role of T cells in natural protection against the flu.  The researchers found that a certain type of T cells showed protection across different viruses, serving as a potential blueprint for a universal influenza vaccine.

Be social, please share!

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *