Health care specialists reveal why it is necessary to get vaccinated against the flu every year
Flu incidence is gradually increasing in Lithuania. According to the National Public Health Center (NVSC), the highest incidence of flu, acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTI), and COVID-19 is recorded in the Vilnius region. Health specialists urge not to delay and get vaccinated against the flu, which can lead to serious complications even for young and working-age people, as stated in a press release by the communication agency “Idea prima”.
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According to NVSC data, about 100,000 people in Lithuania suffer from the flu each year, and worldwide the number reaches half a billion. Due to flu complications, chronic diseases worsen, and flu can also lead to pneumonia, myocardial infarction, or even heart transplantation. Such complications claim between 200,000 and one million lives worldwide each year. This is also unavoidable in Lithuania: last season, a record number of deaths in recent years was registered in the country - 27 people died from the flu, 2 of them were school-aged children.
Why are flu vaccines the most effective means of protection?
Dr. Urtė Dumbliauskaitė, a family doctor at the “Rezus” clinic, says she frequently encounters questions about flu vaccines from young, working-age people.
“The most common questions are: I exercise, strengthen my immunity, is it really necessary and worthwhile to get vaccinated, will I really not get sick if I get vaccinated. In answering these questions, I emphasize that flu vaccines are very important at any age. By getting vaccinated, we not only protect ourselves from the disease and related work absenteeism and treatment costs, but also contribute to public health. Vaccines reduce illness and the spread of the flu, thus avoiding severe forms of flu, hospitalization, and bacterial complications that require antibiotics. This is especially relevant as reducing antibiotic use helps reduce antimicrobial resistance”, states family doctor U. Dumbliauskaitė.
She emphasizes that so far, no one has created a better tool to fight the flu than vaccines.
“It is important to know and understand how vaccines are created. Flu viruses are classified into types A, B, and C, with the first two being the most dangerous. The World Health Organization (WHO) constantly monitors virus changes and predicts which type of virus is most likely in specific years. Vaccines are created based on the recommendations of this organization. When the vaccine composition matches the predominant flu type of the year well, the effectiveness of the vaccine reaches between 70 to 90 percent. In any case, it is the most suitable protection against both more severe flu cases and its complications”, says the doctor.
According to Dr. Dumbliauskaitė of the “Rezus” clinic, it is necessary to get vaccinated every year, as the vaccine is effective for an average of up to twelve months. However, antibody levels in the human body decrease by about half six months after vaccination.
Family doctor U. Dumbliauskaitė states that some still believe that vaccines can cause a mild form of the flu, but in fact, this is a myth – vaccines do not contain the live flu virus.
“For some people, the injection site may become red or even slightly painful, but this is a completely normal reaction that goes away within a couple of days. Such a reaction proves that the body is responding to the vaccine and preparing for protection against the disease. On the other hand, during the cold season, not only flu viruses spread – simple colds often occur, which can be confused with the flu. The latter in more complex cases causes pneumonia, sinusitis, middle ear infections, and even blood poisoning. Worse complications include brain or heart muscle inflammation. To avoid them, you should get vaccinated every year. Especially since a vaccinated person not only protects themselves from possible complications but also takes care of their loved ones by not becoming a virus spreader”, states U. Dumbliauskaitė.
It is interesting to note that, according to specialists, flu vaccines reduce the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction, especially in older people.