Last month, we did a blog busting some common flu vaccine myths - now that we’re well into flu season, it's time for one more.
Myth #6: Now that it's July, is it too late to get a flu vaccine?
Definitely not!
This year has been a particularly bad flu season, and it started early. More than 220 Australians have died from the flu this year already. And don’t think it’s only the elderly or the very young who suffer serious complications: last week, Victorian health authorities announced that a 43-year-old male had died of flu complications.
However, the flu season can extend well into Spring, like it did in 2017 when cases where highest in September and October. Experts are now predicting 4,000 Australians could die by the end of 2019.
Given the flu vaccine takes around two weeks to become effective, now is a perfect time to get vaccinated and seriously decrease your chances of getting a definitely annoying and potentially life-threatening disease this year, and of you spreading the flu to others.
To book you flu shot, call 03 8506 9949.
And here’s a recap of our other flu vaccine myths:
You cannot catch the flu from the flu vaccine: The flu vaccine is not a “live” vaccine, so you can’t get the flu from the vaccine. However, it is possible to have a mild reaction – you might feel like you have some minor cold symptoms, like a sore throat or runny nose for a couple of days. You might also have a sore arm for a day or two. While this is irritating, it's obviously better than getting actual influenza.
Getting the flu is not “kind of like having a bad cold”: People who think this probably haven’t really ever have the “flu”, or at least not recently. Many of the symptoms of a cold and flu are similar, such as a coughing, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, and headache. However, flu symptoms are usually much more severe than those for a mere cold, and in particular, a person with the flu will usually also suffer from fever and body aches, and they will struggle to get out of bed for several days - you can’t just take some cold and flu tablets to get through the day. For people in a higher risk group, a case of the flu may require hospitalisation, and may even be fatal.
Healthy people should get a flu vaccine too: Firstly, you’ll help prevent yourself from being knocked off your feet with something that’s much worse than a mere cold, and it will mean you are helping to stop the spread of the flu. You’ll be helping to provide additional protection to the more vulnerable members of the community such as kids (especially babies under 6 months who are too young to get a flu shot), the elderly and those with low immunity - many of whom might be members of your family, or your co-workers or friends.
The flu vaccine isn’t expensive: It’s free for for the following Medicare card holders:
all children aged six months to less than five years;
all adults aged 65 years and over;
all people aged from six months with medical conditions predisposing them to severe influenza; for example, severe asthma, lung or heart disease, low immunity or diabetes;
pregnant women (during any stage of pregnancy); and
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged from six months.
At North Brighton Medical, flu vaccines are otherwise $20 with a valid Medicare card, or $45 without.
To book you flu shot, call 03 8506 9949.