Why do we need to get a seasonal flu vaccine?

Because of its geographical location in the Northern Hemisphere, Vietnam needs seasonal vaccinations, covering from this winter to the end of next spring. That means, to protect against seasonal flu, every citizen should get vaccinated in the fall.

According to doctors, both adults and children need to get the seasonal flu vaccine to protect their health.

Influenza pandemic and global health threat

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that every year, about 5-10% of adults and 20-30% of children worldwide are infected with influenza, of which about 500,000 people die from health problems related to influenza.

In Vietnam, each year, about 1-1.8 million people are infected with influenza. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, Safpo/Potec Vaccination System, said that influenza is a seemingly simple disease, but it leaves serious consequences for individuals, society, communities, the health sector, and businesses, when every season, many parents have to stay home to take care of their sick children due to the flu, and many offices or factories lack human resources because many people have to take time off due to seasonal flu.

Medical facilities are sometimes overwhelmed, with a sudden surge in the number of patients requiring care. According to statistics in 2016, in Vietnam, there were nearly 300,000 cases of hospitalization due to respiratory infections caused by influenza.

The question is how to prevent the flu. We all know that when someone has the flu, we need to isolate them, clean the environment, and wear masks. However, these are not radical measures. Prevention with vaccines is the most effective and safest measure.

According to the Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room at Xuan Dinh facility (Hanoi), the number of people coming to get flu vaccination is increasing.

Seasonal flu is caused by influenza viruses (usually 4 strains from H1N1, H3N2 and 2 group B strains) and spreads in the community with the ability to continuously change antigens (we will often be exposed to new influenza viruses), but according to certain genetic rules. Because each year, the circulating influenza virus strains are different, we need to get a seasonal flu vaccine booster every year (once a year).

WHO has long established seasonal influenza virus monitoring stations around the world (including in Vietnam) to isolate and identify seasonal influenza viruses circulating in regions (geographical regions, climates, Northern and Southern hemispheres, etc.). From there, it predicts and identifies influenza virus strains that will appear in the winter-spring season in the Northern Hemisphere (from October to the end of April of the following year) and in the winter-spring season in the Southern Hemisphere (from May to October every year).

From determining which influenza virus strains are likely to prevail where (Northern and Southern Hemispheres), WHO will provide guidelines on influenza virus strains for the production of seasonal influenza vaccines for vaccine manufacturers to follow and supply to the market at the best time (Northern Hemisphere is around August-September, and Southern Hemisphere is around April-May every year).

That is why we living in Vietnam need to get a seasonal flu vaccine once a year and before the flu season starts, as well as getting the recommended seasonal vaccine. Because Vietnam is located in the tropical monsoon region, the flu season in the North and the South may differ slightly in time, but because it is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and according to WHO recommendations, we should get the correct Northern Hemisphere seasonal vaccine, which covers from this winter to the end of next spring. That means, to prevent seasonal flu, everyone should get vaccinated in the fall.

Regarding the question of whether the flu vaccine is only given to children or adults, according to Dr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, both adults and children need to get the seasonal flu vaccine to protect their health.

Some people think that vaccination is only for children, but this is not true. “For adults, vaccination is also very important, to protect health, to avoid many dangerous diseases. Adults need to be vaccinated with many types of vaccines to protect themselves from infectious diseases for which the body does not have immunity.

In addition, it is also necessary to re-vaccinate some vaccines that were given when children were young, such as vaccines against whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, etc., because the protective effectiveness of these vaccines will decrease over time," said Dr. Hai.

Previously, there were not many vaccines for adults on the market because manufacturers did not pay attention to disease prevention for adults. But now, in Vietnam, there are many new vaccines for adults such as vaccines against pneumonia, meningitis, and bacteremia caused by pneumococcus; vaccines against meningitis, bacteremia, pericarditis, and pneumonia caused by meningococcus; vaccines against cervical cancer; vaccines against diphtheria - tetanus - whooping cough, vaccines against hepatitis A, hepatitis B; vaccines against measles - mumps - rubella; vaccines against chickenpox.

Put your trust in a quality vaccination facility

Recently, medical facilities have recorded many people infected with influenza A, including severe cases with complications, requiring hospitalization. Children infected with influenza A are susceptible to complications such as pneumonia and need to breathe oxygen. In addition, some have otitis media, even meningitis and myocarditis. Unlike before, patients infected with influenza A can also experience very dangerous neurological symptoms. To prevent the outbreak and spread of the disease, according to experts, vaccination is the most important measure.

According to the reporter of Investment Newspaper at the Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room at Xuan Dinh facility (Hanoi), the number of people coming to get flu vaccine is increasing.

Arriving very early at the Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc, residing in Dong Ngac (Tu Liem) said that every year she and her family go to get the flu vaccine at the Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room in Xuan Dinh. In previous years, because they did not get the flu vaccine, every year her family got the flu, which was very tiring and affected their lives and activities. However, in recent years, because they proactively got the flu vaccine, almost everyone in the family did not get the flu, and if they did, the symptoms were very mild.

When asked why she chose to get the flu vaccine here, Ms. Ngoc said it was because she trusted the quality of the vaccine, as well as the dedication of the medical staff at the Safpo/Potec Xuan Dinh Vaccination Room.

Also giving absolute trust to the Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room, Mr. Trong Nhan, residing in Xuan Dinh, shared that from his own experience, he realized that getting vaccinated against seasonal flu helps him avoid serious complications caused by the flu. If he does get sick, the symptoms are much milder than if he did not get vaccinated in previous years.

The vaccination room here is scientifically arranged, the guidance and reception of people coming for vaccination is carried out systematically. Accordingly, when arriving at the vaccination room, after completing the registration procedures, people will wait outside to receive a queue number for screening by experienced doctors.

People will be thoroughly examined for their medical history, vaccination schedule and health problems to receive appropriate advice. The doctor who examines, advises and prescribes the vaccination will measure temperature, heart rate, check the lungs and ask the person receiving the vaccination some issues related to their health condition such as medical history, history of drug/food allergies, current medications, recently vaccinated vaccines, post-vaccination reactions experienced in previous vaccinations, etc. After that, the doctor will conduct the screening examination, make a conclusion and prescribe the appropriate vaccination.

All screening results should be stored after each examination for ready reference when necessary. The screening process should be conducted in a closed, scientific manner to ensure effectiveness, and the vaccinated person also saves a lot of waiting time. If health is guaranteed and eligible for vaccination, they will move to the vaccination room next door to proceed with vaccination.

Before the injection, medical staff will provide full information about the vaccine to be injected, the vaccine name, manufacturer and expiration date so that people are fully aware.

After vaccination, the vaccination room is designed with a resting space for adults and a play area for children. To ensure safety after vaccination, according to doctors, people need to stay at the vaccination facility for at least 30 minutes and monitor for unusual signs. If there are post-vaccination reactions such as vomiting, dizziness, red skin, wheezing, it is necessary to immediately notify the nearest medical staff for timely treatment.

After 30 minutes of monitoring at the vaccination facility, the vaccinated person will have their temperature and injection site checked and will be advised to continue monitoring their health for 48 hours after the injection. If there are any unusual signs of body temperature, breathing, circulation, digestion or health abnormalities that affect eating and sleeping, they should go to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment.

According to Dr. Bui Thi Viet Hoa, consultant of Safpo/Potec Vaccination Room, the facility is currently a trusted vaccination address not only for people in Xuan Dinh Ward, but also for neighboring wards. The number of people vaccinated increases rapidly every year, which is the clearest evidence, showing the trust of people in the vaccination services here.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/vi-sao-can-tiem-vac-xin-cum-mua-d226087.html