WITH ALL of the publicity this year about the possibility of a bird flu epidemic, some people may be confused about this year’s round of flu vaccinations.
The vaccinations now being offered in Emporia and around the country are not meant to provide protection against bird flu, should that virus make the leap to human transmission. There is, as yet, no vaccine in production that targets bird flu.
The current vaccination program targets the seasonal flu outbreaks that usually strike in the late fall and winter. This year’s vaccine is intended to protect against three specific strains of influenza that have been identified as likely candidates to spread in the United States this year.
Although none of those three strains is expected to be as dangerous to people as the bird flu could be, any influenza can be deadly to the very young, the old and people with other health problems. Each year, about 36,000 people in the United States die from seasonal influenza or its complications. That is why it is important for people to be vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people at high risk for complications from the flu be vaccinated. That includes children from 6 months to 5 years old, pregnant women, people 50 and older, people with some chronic medical conditions and people in nursing homes.
Vaccinations are also recommended for people who live with or care for people at risk, and anyone else who wants to lessen their risk of getting the flu.
This is the time to be vaccinated. The flu season has begun and the CDC will start tracking flu reports this week. It takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop the antibodies needed to fight off a flu infection.
This year’s flu shot will not give anyone protection against bird flu, but bird flu has not yet become an immediate threat.
Seasonal flu is an immediate threat, this year and every year.