Protect your family through flu vaccinations
All you want is to ensure your family stays healthy… and the best way to protect against the flu is to get a flu vaccine every year. Vaccines for the seasonal flu are designed to protect against three strains of the influenza virus that are common in a given year. Since these common strains change from year to year, last year’s flu shot might not protect you against this year’s viruses. So if you want to increase your chances of staying well – and keeping your family healthy and thriving – it’s important to get vaccinated every year. The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 (“swine flu”) – specific vaccines for swine flu are currently being designed and tested. See here for more details about the US Department of Health and Human Services’ plans for swine flu vaccination.
Even though flu vaccines work very well to protect against that season’s three flu strains, it’s important to note that you could still get the flu if you encounter a different strain of influenza virus. And a flu vaccine can’t protect you against other kinds of viruses, such as rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus. As shown in the chart below, which shows the types of viruses that were found in over 1000 patients with respiratory infections, it’s estimated that viruses other than the influenza virus cause almost 90% of all respiratory viral infections.