» The flu vaccine is very important for several reasons:
- Prevent and reduce the severity of disease.
- It can help prevent influenza infection to some extent (about 70-90% in healthy people).
- Even if you get infected after vaccination, your symptoms are usually mild, reducing the chance of potentially life-threatening complications such as pneumonia or severe symptoms in people with underlying medical conditions.
- Prevent complications in high-risk groups.
- It is especially important for at-risk groups such as young children, the elderly (aged 60-65 years and above), pregnant women, and those with chronic diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, lung disease), who are at high risk of complications and death.
- Studies have shown that vaccines can reduce mortality and hospitalizations among people with chronic diseases.
- Reduce the spread of infection in the community.
- Vaccination reduces the number of cases, thus reducing the spread of the virus widely, thus protecting those around you, especially those who cannot be vaccinated.
- Viruses change strains every year.
- Influenza viruses are constantly changing strains, so new vaccines must be developed to cover the strains expected to be prevalent in a given year. This makes it necessary to get vaccinated annually to maintain up-to-date immunity.
- Immunity decreases with time.
- The level of immunity gained from vaccination gradually decreases over time, requiring annual booster shots.
For more information, please contact the Internal Medicine Center, Building 2, Ground Floor. Tel: 0 2530 2556 ext. 2010, 2020.