Many companies offer flu vaccinations: Should I get vaccinated this fall? | Society

This month, coronavirus and influenza vaccination campaigns began in all autonomous regions. Both drugs are particularly recommended for people over 60 or with medical conditions that are particularly likely to worsen. This year’s flu vaccination program includes children aged 6 to 59 months for the first time. But doctors (and state programs) are recommending the shot to more people, and many companies are offering it to their employees. Here’s a brief guide to what you need to know about getting your flu shot (for coronavirus information, you can find it here ).

How effective is the flu vaccine?

A lot depends on the year. Each season the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies the strains most likely to proliferate so that vaccines can be formulated from them, but what happens next is unpredictable.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that the World Health Organization fix it Infections can be reduced by 40% to 60% compared to viruses. According to the Department of Health, vaccination prevented 26% of hospitalizations, 40% of ICU admissions and 37% of flu deaths among people 65 and older during the 2019-2020 flu season. The consequences of the flu are greater.

How is the flu expected to fare in Spain this year? When will it come?

Jose María Molero, spokesman for the Infectious Disease Working Group of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), explained that predicting its behavior is very difficult. It depends not only on the virus that is circulating, but also on people’s own social interactions. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the way influenza spreads in recent years. “There is no way of knowing whether there will be an epidemic more similar to the pre-pandemic period, with a peak between January and March, or whether there will be a repeat of an atypical phenomenon like 2022, when the season started earlier, two different times The waves: the first is influenza A in November to December and the second is influenza B in January to February, more similar to normal seasons,” Molero said.

Why are children included in vaccination recommendations?

The National Flu Plan covers children under five (and over six months) for the first time. The Spanish Pediatric Association has been asking for this for years. Antonio Iofrío, secretary of the Vaccine Advisory Committee, explained that this age group is the most vulnerable to influenza after the elderly. “For too long, society and health workers themselves have not recognized the importance of influenza in children. Children are hospitalized or die from it every year. They are the largest emitters. Typically, annual epidemic waves originate from them It started in the middle of the year and a few weeks later it started spreading to other people,” he explained.

Last year, three communities, Andalusia, Murcia and Galicia, were ahead of the national plan to include influenza vaccination in children under five, with coverage rates of 45% to 55%. “It always costs more the first time, but the percentage goes up from 6-7% to almost half of the kids, their numbers are not bad,” explains Iofrío.

Which other groups are also recommended to be vaccinated?

In addition to the above mentioned groups (over 60 years and under 5 years), the vaccination program also includes patients with diabetes or any other metabolic endocrine disease; patients with morbid obesity, chronic cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lung disease, chronic bronchitis, chronic Patients with obstructive pulmonary disease, renal disease, asplenia or anatomic or functional absence of the spleen, chronic liver disease, immunocompromised patients, any pathology whether or not caused by certain drugs; cancer patients, including celiac disease or chronic inflammatory bowel disease; or having chromic sideburns, Down syndrome, or dementia. In addition, pregnant women are also at risk.

Ana Pilar Aguirre, coordinator of the semFYC vaccine team, explained that the vaccine is strongly recommended for all people living with high-risk groups to protect them. “And, for all staff at the Center for Health and Social Hygiene, including health science degree students and those working in essential public services, such as national security forces, firefighters, civil protection personnel,” he added.

I don’t belong to any of these groups but my company offers me the vaccine, what should I do?

Anyone (older than six months old) can receive it on request at their company or at their health center. The large number of viruses with similar characteristics makes it difficult to know exactly how much benefit it would have for people under this age group, where the risk of severe infection is much lower. The Cochrae review – a body that selects the highest quality studies – could not find conclusive evidence of fewer hospitalizations in healthy people under 60, although it concluded that vaccinated people “may experience less flu, slightly less” . From 2% to just under 1%. “

What are its side effects?

The flu vaccine has been used for many years and is considered very safe. The most common side effects after vaccination are discomfort and/or pain at the injection site. These local reactions usually last less than 48 hours and “rarely interfere with the normal life of the vaccinated person,” according to Health. Other reactions may also occur, such as fever, malaise, or muscle pain; they begin within the first 6-12 hours and usually last one to two days.

Can it be taken with covid?

Yes. In fact, the recommended groups are very similar (covid is not suitable for children) and the autonomous regions usually manage them at the same time. Also on Thursday, Pfizer announced a promising trial of a vaccine that could prevent both diseases.