Flu Shot
Flu Shots in West Hills,
California call 818-888-8042
What is the flu shot?
The flu shot is an inactivated vaccine (containing
killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in
the arm. It contains three influenza viruses. The three
vaccine strains – one A (H3N2) virus, one A (H1N1)
virus, and one B virus – are representative of the
influenza vaccine strains recommended for that year.
Viruses for the flu shot are grown in eggs.
It's not too late to get your flu shot
in Los Angeles. Although, winter has started, it's not
too late for residents of West Hills, Calabasas, Encino,
Woodland Hills, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, and Studio
City to be able to find and take advantage of the supply
of Flu Shots by ABM Medical in West Hills.
The Flu season is upon us and anyone who has not taken
up the opportunity to get a flu shot to seriously
consider getting one now. While you are getting a flu
shot I recommend checking out ABM Medicals full line of
Urgent Care services, specially with the cold weather
that so suddenly hit Los Angels. It is important to make
sure you, your children and specially your elder loved
ones are protected this year from catching influenza,
that causes illnesses far worse than the common cold. It
is often experience that the Flu can be very serious in
older people, leading to hospitalization and even death
and the vaccine provides the best protection against
influenza.
For more information on Urgent Care and Flu vaccination
in West Hills, California please call ABM Medical
818-888-8042
Who should get a flu shot?
In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of
getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, certain
people should get vaccinated each year. They are either
people who are at high risk of having serious flu
complications or people who live with or care for those
at high risk for serious complications. During flu
seasons when vaccine supplies are limited or delayed,
the ACIP makes recommendations regarding priority groups
for vaccination.
People who should get vaccinated each
year are:
-
People at high risk for
complications from the flu, including:
-
Children aged 6 months until
their 5th birthday,
-
Pregnant women,
-
People 50 years of age and
older, and
-
People of any age with certain
chronic medical conditions;
-
People who live in nursing
homes and other long term care facilities.
-
People who live with or
care for those at high risk for complications from
flu, including:
-
Household contacts of persons
at high risk for complications from the flu (see
above)
-
Household contacts and out of
home caregivers of children less than 6 months
of age (these children are too young to be
vaccinated)
-
Healthcare workers.
Use of the Nasal Spray Flu
Vaccine
It should be noted that vaccination with the nasal-spray
flu vaccine is always an option for healthy persons aged
5-49 years who are not pregnant.
Who should not get a flu shot?
Talk with a doctor before getting a flu shot if you:
1) Have ever had a severe allergic reaction to eggs or
to a previous flu shot
or
2) Have a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
If you are sick with a fever when you
go to get your flu shot, you should talk to your doctor
or nurse about getting your shot at a later date.
However, you can get a flu shot at the same time you
have a respiratory illness without fever or if you have
another mild illness.
How effective is the flu shot?
With the flu shot, when the "match" between vaccine and
circulating strains is close, the vaccine prevents
influenza in about 70%-90% of healthy persons younger
than age 65 years. Among elderly persons living outside
chronic-care facilities (such as nursing homes) and
those persons with long-term (chronic) medical
conditions, the flu shot is 30%-70% effective in
preventing hospitalization for pneumonia and influenza.
Among elderly nursing home residents, the flu shot is
most effective in preventing severe illness, secondary
complications, and deaths related to the flu. In this
population, the shot can be 50%-60% effective in
preventing hospitalization or pneumonia and 80%
effective in preventing death from the flu.
Influenza Facts
Influenza is a viral illness and
typical flu symptoms include fever, cough, chills, sore
throat, headache and muscle aches, which usually begin
about 1-4 days after being exposed to someone with the
flu.
Symptoms are usually mild to moderate
in most people, but can be more severe in the elderly or
very young children, causing thousands of deaths each
year (mostly elderly people).
You can get the flu if:
-
you are around someone with the
flu that coughs or sneezes and the germs enter your
body through your mouth or nose
-
you touch something, such as a
door knob or sink faucet, that has been touched and
contaminated by someone with the flu, and you then
touch your own mouth or nose
Unlike many other viruses, there
actually are treatments for influenza, but they must be
started very early in the course of the illness and
usually within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. These
treatments include the medications zanamivir (Relenza),
and oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
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What are the risks from getting a flu shot?
The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so
you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The risk of a
flu shot causing serious harm, or death, is extremely
small. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, may rarely
cause serious problems, such as severe allergic
reactions. Almost all people who get influenza vaccine
have no serious problems from it.
What are the side effects that could occur?
If these problems occur, they begin soon after the
shot and usually last one to two days.
Can severe problems occur?
-
Life-threatening allergic reactions are very
rare. Signs of serious allergic reaction can include
breathing problems, hoarseness or wheezing, hives,
paleness, weakness, a fast heartbeat, or dizziness.
If they do occur, it is within a few minutes to a
few hours after the shot. These reactions are more
likely to occur among persons with a severe allergy
to eggs, because the viruses used in the influenza
vaccine are grown in hens' eggs. People who have had
a severe reaction to eggs or to a flu shot in the
past should not get a flu shot before seeing a
physician.
-
Guillain-Barré syndrome: Normally, about one
person per 100,000 people per year will develop
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an illness
characterized by fever, nerve damage, and muscle
weakness. In 1976, vaccination with the swine flu
vaccine was associated with getting GBS. Several
studies have been done to evaluate if other flu
vaccines since 1976 were associated with GBS. Only
one of the studies showed an association. That study
suggested that one person out of 1 million
vaccinated persons may be at risk of GBS associated
with the vaccine.
More facts about potential side effects of the
influenza vaccine can be found in "Prevention and
Control of Influenza, Recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)."
What should I do if I have had a serious reaction to
influenza vaccine?
-
Call a doctor, or get to a doctor right away.
-
Tell your doctor what happened, the date and
time it happened, and when you got the flu shot.
-
Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to
file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS)* form, or call VAERS at 1-800-822-7967.
*Note: This
information is from CDC
Influenza Vaccine Facts
The influenza shot is an inactivated
or killed vaccine and is usually changed each year to
keep up with the most common strains of the influenza
virus that are circulating and most likely to cause
infections.
The influenza vaccine is available for
children over the age of six months. To produce a good
response, the first year that they get it, children
under nine years of age need two doses of the vaccine
given at least one month apart. Children over nine years
and younger children who have previously had a flu shot
only need a single injection each year.
Flu shot reactions or side effects are
usually mild, and may include soreness, redness or
swelling where the shot was given, fever, and/or aches,
and usually only last for 1-2 days. Children under 3
years should receive a 0.25ml dose of inactivated flu
vaccine. Children over 3 years and adults should receive
a dose of 0.5ml.
More serious side effects can rarely
include a life-threatening allergic reaction. |
