With the onset of cold weather, we begin to observe whole influenza epidemics. Every year a new strain of this disease dominates, so it is not so easy to protect yourself from it. The treatment of influenza is always fraught with large financial costs, since you have to buy powerful expensive drugs, which, unfortunately, in many cases do not help.
Influenza is a complex viral infection that can mutate and cause severe complications, which affects the decrease in immunity and can provoke the development of all kinds of inflammatory processes. In practice, over the past ten years, there have been many deaths, regardless of the age of the patient. Therefore, the problem of influenza prevention is of great concern to both ordinary people and physicians. What measures should be taken to protect yourself and your family from the next general epidemic and survive the winter calmly, without worrying about every cough or runny nose?
What is modern influenza prevention?
For the past five years, doctors have been focusing on the mandatory vaccination of people of different ages. Influenza vaccination is the targeted introduction of a weakened virus into the human body in order to develop its physiological protection against new microorganisms. The reaction is different. Many vaccines may not be suitable for people due to their basis. For example, many are allergic to chicken protein, which is found in most types of flu vaccines.
Should I get the flu shot or not?
Despite possible adverse reactions, every year more people wish to be vaccinated. They do not want to risk their he alth and the he alth of their loved ones and are of the opinion that the side effect of the injection is much safer than the disease itself.
The flu shot today is optional. When it comes to children, the decision to vaccinate always depends primarily on the parents. Informed father and mother themselves decide today whether it is advisable for a child to give an injection or not. Since the quality of the vaccine today often leaves much to be desired, many are afraid of the process of vaccinating babies. But, following the advice of doctors, nevertheless, most of the parents agree to vaccinations for their children.
First of all, to protect your body from a viral infection - influenza, they advise older people whose age has crossed the limit of sixty years, children under three years old, pregnant women infirst trimester, people with immune deficiency, people whose professional activities involve contact with infected patients - pharmacy workers, doctors and medical staff of hospitals, as well as military personnel.
Which flu vaccine is best? There is no single answer to this question, since each drug is designed to prevent a specific strain. Manufacturers try to predict future epidemics, but this is not always possible. Therefore, vaccinated people can get sick with the flu if they catch the infection in an "updated" form.
Since various viral types of a life-threatening disease dominate today, it is definitely necessary to be vaccinated against them. If influenza prevention is not carried out, then humanity will give this mutating disease a chance to develop with greater force and the effect of the plague of the twenty-first century may result.
Vaccination timings
Vaccinations begin to be given to both adults and children from October to December, that is, immediately with the onset of cold weather. After all, frequent colds are associated precisely with temperature changes, when warm days end, and they are replaced by cloudy, wet or frosty weather.
Influenza is an infection that does not bypass either those who harden and go in for sports, or those who do not think about their he alth at all. It is transmitted by airborne droplets and it is impossible to be one hundred percent insured that tomorrow your temperature will not rise sharply or drip from your nose. And to minimize the risk of developing the disease andthe population is being vaccinated.
How safe are flu shots with modern drugs?
As noted above, there is no answer to the question of which flu vaccine is better and safer. The quality of vaccination of people depends on the state of their he alth at the time of the introduction of a certain serum, on the doctor's awareness of the patient's ailments, possible allergic reactions.
In medical practice, there have been cases when a certain batch of produced influenza vaccine caused universal side effects and was urgently withdrawn from circulation.
So, while the production of vaccines is still imperfect, it is impossible to say unequivocally right away whether it is safe to be vaccinated or not. But by virtue of common sense, many do this and observe positive trends in increasing the resistance of their body to various strains of influenza. After all, high mortality is observed not from the virus itself, but from the complications it causes.
At what age is the flu vaccine recommended?
Vaccination can be performed as early as six months of age. The procedure is carried out annually several times. It all depends on which vaccine is given to an adult or a child.
What flu vaccines are currently being used?
Currently, doctors use liquids of various effects in their practice to vaccinate people. They can be given through the nose or injected into the forearm or thigh.
Among those frequently used there areso-called live vaccines and their inactivated forms. The first type contains weakened and non-infectious viruses. The second does not contain live viruses.
Inactivated vaccines, in turn, are divided into whole-cell containing influenza virus cells, split - dissolved virus cells, and subunit vaccines containing surface proteins.
Today there is a practice of using subunit solutions in medicine for inoculation of adults and children. One of these is the well-known "Grippol" - a vaccine, reviews of which are mostly positive. This group also includes the Influvac and Agrippal vaccines tested on adults and children.
What is the flu vaccine "Grippol"?
This is one of the most effective injectable formulations against the influenza virus today. It is able to form specific immunity against it in the body of an adult and a child, reduce the risk of colds and increase resistance to other respiratory viral infections.
A lot of questions are raised by parents of young children "Grippol" - a vaccine, reviews of which are not as unambiguous as many would like. It is natural that the reaction of each individual organism to the vaccine is individual. But if we observe the overall effect, then one conclusion suggests itself: this is the most common vaccine that many people get vaccinated, and a stable result of its effect on immunity, strengthening it against influenza has been proven.
Seencases when "Grippol" is negatively characterized. The vaccine (reviews of some patients claim that this is exactly the case) is simply not effective. This is a completely understandable situation. A vaccinated person could have been ill with a different type of flu. The Grippol vaccine (the instructions indicate this) is aimed at developing immunity against strains of influenza viruses type A (H1N1 and H3N2) and B, which were observed in an epidemiological influx at the beginning of the 2000s, and today have reduced their activity. But that doesn't mean they can't be modified into more complex forms.
Grippol is prescribed for children and adults in certain doses indicated in the instructions, which are clearly followed by doctors.
The list of contraindications to vaccination with this drug includes cases of fever, acute infectious diseases, chronic ailments in the acute stage, allergic reactions to early vaccinations with this vaccine.
Inoculation "Grippol" for children is given for the first time in the thigh at the age of six months.
Today, this is not the only effective Russian-made flu injection used by doctors.
Grippol plus vaccine for children
For influenza vaccination of small children, parents choose this drug to a greater extent.
Doctors also advise the drug "Grippol plus" for children. Feedback on this vaccine is positive. It does not contain preservatives in its composition, causes fewer allergic reactions. This is an improved version of the Grippol vaccine sample.
Wherebeing vaccinated?
Vaccine injections are made in specialized clinics. Vaccination of children is carried out according to a certain schedule. But the state of he alth at the time of the injection is an important factor in determining the further actions of the medical staff.
Reviews on the effectiveness of influenza vaccination
The general impression that causes "Grippol" (vaccine), reviews of the drug in most cases are positive. The same applies to the already mentioned composition of Grippol Plus.
The country's polyclinics are fully provided with both injection liquids, because these are domestic medical products that are constantly being improved.
The "Grippol" vaccine (the instructions for the drug states exactly this) is a safe method of preventing influenza.
Doctors advice
Today both the drug "Grippol" and the vaccine "Grippol plus" are prescribed for children. Reviews of physicians tend to use for small patients, after all, the second type of anti-flu injection. The absence of preservatives in its content causes fewer adverse reactions. And this is the main task while involving all age groups of people in vaccination.
Doctors categorically do not advise to refuse vaccinations. In cases of an ambiguous reaction of the body to the vaccine, it is no longer used, but a different type is selected.
Many say that vaccination is dangerous, after vaccination people get sick even more often. But personal experience is the best proof of all kinds of rumors thatrefuted, then supported by supporters.
The modern generation should understand the point that vaccination (not just against influenza) is an opportunity to develop a general resistance to all complex diseases that lead to death. If humanity does not fight them, in particular, refuses to help doctors do their job, it will soon face universal epidemics.
While we weigh all the pros and cons, ailments do not sleep, and tomorrow they can become our big headache. So take care of your he alth when the opportunity presents itself.
Vaccination against influenza with Grippol and Grippol Plus is free for everyone. No positive or negative reviews on the Internet should decide whether you are he althy or not.
