Flu Season 2018-2019
Influenza viruses typically
circulate in the United States annually, most commonly from late fall through
early spring. Most who are diagnosed with the flu will recover without any real
issues; however, influenza can cause serious illness, hospitalization, and
death, particularly among older adults, very young children, pregnant women,
and those with certain chronic medical conditions.
Routine annual influenza
vaccination of all persons aged ≥6 months without contraindications continues
to be recommended. No preferential recommendation is made for one influenza
vaccine product over another.
There are different types of
vaccines available:
•
Trivalent (3 strain) variety:
•
Standard 3 strain shot (for ages 18-64)
•
High-dose 3 strain shot (for ages 65 and older)
•
Recombinant egg-free 3 strain shot (for ages 18
and older and pregnant women)
•
Quadvalent (4 strain) variety
•
Intradermal (under the skin) version
•
Standard 4 strain shot (for ages 4 and older)
•
Recombinant 4 strain shot (for ages 18 and older
and pregnant women
Due to the unpredictability of
timing of the onset of the flu season, and concerns that vaccine-induced
immunity might diminish over the course of a season, it is recommended that
vaccination should be offered by the end of October. Children aged 6 months
through 8 years who require 2 doses should receive their first dose as soon as
possible after the vaccine becomes available, to allow the second dose (which
must be administered ≥4 weeks later) to be received before the end of
October. Re-vaccination later in the season of persons who have already
been fully vaccinated is not recommended.
Optimally, vaccination should be
received before flu activity is seen in the community. The ideal time to start
vaccinating cannot be predicted because the timing of the onset, peak, and
decline of influenza activity varies; more than one outbreak might occur in a
given community in a single year. In the United States, localized outbreaks
that indicate the start of seasonal influenza activity can occur as early as
October. About 75 percent of the past
seasons saw a peak of influenza occur in January or later, sometimes even as
late as February.
It is important to take
preventive actions to stop the spread of germs during the flu season. The CDC recommends staying at home for at
least 24 hours after fever is gone, cover your nose and mouth when coughing or
sneezing, wash hands often with soap and water (alcohol based hand rub will do
if water is not available) and clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that
may become contaminated.
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