Infectious disease doctor warns about the importance of getting vaccinated every year and clarifies the “contaminations” caused by the vaccine
At the beginning of the month the Ministry of Health announced the extension of the flu vaccine to all ages. With this, everyone older than 6 months can be vaccinated. This is the main way to avoid contamination by the influenza virus, which is most prevalent during the autumn and winter months.
“Vaccination is essential to protect the health of the population and prevent its spread, especially during the colder seasons, when the incidence of influenza tends to increase” underlined the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade.
According to Raquel Muarrek, infectious disease specialist at Rede D’or, The ideal is to get the flu vaccine every year. This is because it provides an immune response against viral conditions and secondary bacterial infections, reducing the complications of these diseases.
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Raquel emphasizes that the vaccine does not cause flu in vaccinated people. This is because, when we get vaccinated, whatever the vaccine, it takes two to three weeks for the immune system to respond with the necessary defenses.
“That means if you get the vaccine today and have the flu tomorrow, it hasn’t even started to kick in. So what they’re saying isn’t true,” he says.
The problem, according to the doctor, is that when the vaccination campaign begins the flu virus is already circulating. Therefore, we get infected even before the vaccine takes effect in the body. So the ideal would be to get vaccinated between the months of January and February, to arrive in the stations at greatest risk that have already been immunized.
Raquel also points out that there are flu vaccines for all ages. “We have the vaccine that is administered by underweight children to the elderly. Today we have the vaccine for people over 60, Influelda, which has a better action power and immune response to the virus, for people over that age. So there is the trivalent, the quadrivalent and also Influelda”, concludes the doctor.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
