Influenza is a contagious, feverish respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus. Flu affects all age groups and is moderate to severe. In addition to humans, the flu virus also causes illness in pigs and birds. Flu is a very contagious, viral disease. Since it also includes upper respiratory tract symptoms, it is confused with other respiratory tract infections. Influenza caused at least four worldwide epidemics in the 19th century. In our country, influenza epidemics occur almost every year in the winter months (between December and March) and usually last 3-6 weeks. The most important thing that distinguishes influenza from other respiratory diseases is Its feature is that no other respiratory infection spreads so quickly and causes widespread regional epidemics and sometimes even epidemics all over the world.
Flu spreads through viruses dispersed into the air when the sick person coughs, sneezes and even speaks. Unlike other respiratory infections, such as the common cold, it causes serious illness and life-threatening adverse consequences in many people. The incubation period of influenza is very short. One to five days after receiving the virus, the disease begins suddenly with a high fever above 39 degrees. Dry cough, headache, intense muscle aches throughout the body, sore throat and severe weakness are the accompanying symptoms and bind the sick person to bed for at least 3-5 days. Although flu disease can be dangerous in all age groups, especially young children and the elderly. heart disease such as heart failure, vascular disease; lung disease such as bronchitis, asthma; Flu poses a life-threatening threat to people of all ages who have a disease such as kidney disease, diabetes, or who have immune system failure due to a disease such as AIDS, cancer, or chemotherapy. The flu vaccine is an inactivated (dead) vaccine and requires a single dose every year. It is recommended to be implemented as The flu vaccine is a vaccine that is recommended to be administered as a single dose every year. The reason why the flu vaccine is administered as a single dose every year is that the flu virus changes its genetic structure almost every year and emerges as a different virus, and therefore flu vaccines are administered in the same way almost every year. is the change of its content. However, the flu vaccine should not be administered to those with egg allergy. When the flu vaccine is administered to children under the age of 8 for the first time, it is recommended to receive two doses, one month apart. In the following years, a single dose of vaccine is sufficient. A single dose is recommended for children over 8 years of age and adults, including the first time the flu vaccine is administered. The flu vaccine should be administered as a half dose to children under the age of 3, and when administered for the first time, it should be administered twice as a half dose with a one-month interval.
The most suitable times for administering the flu vaccine are September-October-November. However, since epidemics can continue until March-April, vaccination can be administered in January-February and beyond as long as the disease is not experienced and the vaccine is available. After the flu vaccine, it takes at least 10-14 days for definitive protection to begin.
Read: 0
