Countries like the US recommend flu shots in October, but in Vietnam, flu shots are still needed in the hot season. Doctor, please explain why? (My Le, 32 years old, Hanoi)
In temperate countries like the US, the flu peak usually occurs in October every year. Therefore, health officials often recommend flu prevention before the peak of the epidemic, so that people are immune to the disease.
In tropical monsoon countries like Vietnam, influenza often occurs year-round. The number of flu cases usually increases sharply in March-April and September-October. Recently, hospitals recorded many cases of influenza A and influenza B and complications. In addition, people increase their demand for travel and relaxation in the summer, making it easier for flu to spread faster and more widely.
People with flu can recover on their own after 4-7 days. However, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with underlying illnesses infected with influenza are at high risk of serious complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, stroke… if not detected early and treated promptly. time. Influenza in pregnant women can cause birth defects, premature birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth.
Therefore, people are still recommended to get flu shots even in hot weather to prevent illness for themselves and their families.
According to studies, flu vaccination helps reduce the death rate by 70-80%, reduces the number of people hospitalized with flu or worsening of underlying illnesses due to flu. Flu vaccination of pregnant women reduces the risk of hospitalization by 40%. 51% reduced risk of stillbirth, 25% reduced premature birth rate, 72% reduced risk of children under 6 months old being hospitalized due to flu.
Vaccination helps prevent disease and avoid complications caused by influenza. Image: Update spirituality
After the basic vaccination schedule, the influenza vaccine needs to be given a booster each year. The reason is that flu viruses change throughout the year. Vaccination helps effectively prevent new flu strains and replenishes the gradually decreasing antibody levels of previous year’s vaccines.
In Vietnam, there are currently 4 types of inactivated influenza vaccines, including three quadrivalent types, which help protect against 4 strains of influenza virus including A/H1N1, A/H3N2, B/Victoria and B/Yamagata produced in France and Hanoi. Lan, Korea; a trivalent vaccine produced in Vietnam that helps protect against two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B. Quadrivalent vaccines are given to children from 6 months of age and adults. Trivalent vaccine is given to people aged 18-60 years.
Pregnant women get flu shots in the second or last trimester of pregnancy to help protect the mother and transfer antibodies to the fetus, protecting the newborn until they are old enough to be vaccinated.
In addition, when symptoms appear, you should be careful not to go to crowded places, wear a mask, and avoid contact with people at high risk such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. People should limit vigorous exercise, rest properly, and eat a nutritious diet to help the body recover quickly from illness.