Understanding the Flu Vaccine

It’s a vaccine doctors encourage patients to get every year. “We are particularly concerned about our most vulnerable patients, the very young, the elderly, and pregnant women, or those with immune-compromised conditions tend to be at highest risk of getting very sick from the flu,” said Dr. Christina Cavanagh, a family medicine physician with Lee Health.

The flu vaccine works by using part of a protein similar to the virus to help your immune system build up an immune response. “Every year the manufacturers try to predict which flu strain that was seen in other parts of the world are going to make their ways to us, during influenza season. They match the vaccine to try to best match those strains that we predict are coming,” she said.

Family medicine Dr. Christina Cavanagh says while you can still get the flu with the vaccine, the symptoms are less severe. “The good news is, even if it’s not a perfect match to the strains that come into our community, that it will still provide some protection.”

Flu symptoms can include fever over 100.5, coughing, congestion, muscle aches, and fatigue. “It does not cause the same symptoms as the flu and it cannot actually give you the flu but it can make you feel tired and run down, especially the first 24 to 48 hours after you get the vaccine. That’s a good sign that the vaccine is actually working and doing its job,” she said.

The vaccine is recommended for patients 6 months and older. Doctors recommend getting the vaccine in October to provide the best protection throughout the flu season.
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.

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Видео Understanding the Flu Vaccine канала Lee Health