Health care professionals team up for this year's flu season

How many times have you heard, “Did you get your flu shot yet?” There’s a good reason for asking that question. Over the past few years, the influenza vaccine has prevented millions of flu cases and tens of thousands of related hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although an increasing number of people are getting vaccinated every year, some people are not. Influenza is a potentially dangerous virus that can send a healthy person to the emergency room. If you are 6 months and older, you should get your flu shot this year. If you are still not convinced, here are 5 more reasons why you should get vaccinated.

1. You can spread the flu even if you don’t get sick.

According to Harvard School of Public Health, 20 to 30 percent of people who carry the influenza virus never experience flulike symptoms. Yet it’s still contagious. No one wants to be a flu spreader.

2. You use your smartphone constantly.

Smartphones have hard, plastic surfaces that viruses easily cling to. Experts say mobile devices are sneaky transporters of the flu.

3. The vaccination is available everywhere.

Most of the major drug stores and many grocery stores now offer the flu vaccination; many without requiring an appointment.

4. It’s usually painless.

You can skip the shot altogether and get the vaccine as a nasal mist instead. This is for those between the ages of 2 and 49.

5. You’ll save sick days.

An estimated 111 million workdays are lost to the flu each year. Even if you work from home, getting anything done when you’re coughing, sneezing, sweating, and shivering can be very difficult. Recovery can take a week or more.

What about those pneumococcal vaccines the hospital staff always ask you about when being admitted as a patient? Catching the flu is totally different from having pneumonia. The confusion may start because of the similarities of the symptoms between the flu and pneumonia.

Pneumonia is often the more serious illness, but it should be noted that some types of flu can also be deadly. With pneumonia, a person is likely to have severe breathing issues since the illness concentrates primarily in the lungs. Pneumonia can also be a secondary infection, as it could have started by having the flu.

Vaccination is the best way to prevent pneumococcal disease. There are two different types of pneumococcal vaccines: one that protects adults called pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), and the other is pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) under the brand name Prevnar 13. PCV13 is routinely given to infants and toddlers, and was approved by the FDA in 2011 for use in adults ages 19 and older.

Both pneumococcal vaccines can be given at any time during the year. The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is recommended for adults ages 19 to 64 with certain medical conditions (for example, certain kidney diseases, cigarette smoking, asthma, chronic heart or lung disease) and the adult should receive one or two doses of PPSV23 given five years apart.

Adults ages 65 and older should receive both vaccines. Adults who are recommended to receive both the PPSV23 and the PCV13 vaccines should get the PCV13 vaccine first, followed by PPSV23, one year later. If an adult, 65 and older, was already vaccinated with PPSV23 after the age of 65, no additional dose of PPSV23 is needed, but he or she should receive the PCV13 vaccine a year later. 

So remember, the flu season is coming fast, and your best defense is a good offense. Get your vaccine before it strikes. Give yourself some peace of mind this year by protecting yourself, your family, and your friends from the flu.

Hot Springs County Public Health will be holding a Flu Shot Clinic Thursday, Oct. 22 from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

The cost is $30 with billing available to Medicaid, Medicare, Cigna, BC/BS and CNIC. Bring your insurance card.