Health NZ says an influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone over six months of age every year. It is free for some groups, including people 65 and over, people with chronic health conditions and pregnant people.
Photo: CDC
A clinical and vaccination specialist is asking everyone to do the responsible thing and get their flu scam to help their own health and the rest of the community.
The flu season is approaching, and the National Flu Immunization Program begins on April 1st.
Medical Counselor at the Immunization Consulting Center, Dr. Edwin Reynolds, said Verification point Flu can be a serious illness and should not be discarded as just another darkness every day.
It was safer for people to avoid risks, being vaccinated. Vaccination also helps relieve tension in the medical system, which is usually strongly overloaded during the winter flu season.
“In my experience as a family doctor, I think you can really say the difference to people with this kind of upper respiratory infection, walking through the door – you can see the difference between what seems to be just a cold flu, versus – and not just that, it is severity, it really affects your functioning capacity.”
Dr. Edwin Reynolds says everyone should receive the flu vaccine this year.
Photo: Provided
The northern hemisphere has been hit by a especially lasting season during winter, which means that health authorities are preparing to make it potentially happen here as well. The different parts of the world often “mirror” or follow seasonal experiences when it comes to contagious diseases, Reynolds said.
“I hope, as a doctor, see people entering the offices with their respiratory disease. But it would be good to see them with less illness than the severity caused by things like flu.”
What are the different types of flu vaccine?
Flu is spread by viruses that suffer and change over time, so researchers are continually updating vaccines to reach the latest strains of the flu and different strains in different areas.
Worldwide, there are hundreds of different flu vaccines, and each has slightly different technology to combat the virus, Reynolds said.
“The general picture is trying to put vaccines on arms, and weapon vaccines mean that people are much more protected,” so the “small details” of each influenza vaccine were less important than ensuring that you get one of them, he said.
At the moment, New Zealand had five different vaccines, although only one version is publicly funded: “It is funded for people who are at high risk of flu.”
The other versions of the vaccine in New Zealand are similar “standard vaccines”, but are more likely to be available to those who have no high risk, he said. For example, “your employers are probably busy trying to get into their refrigerators.”
“They still have the same formulations – there are two [influenza] A strain and two B strains against which you are protected, all were basically elaborated a few weeks ago for those who [World Health Organisation]on which strains should enter these vaccines [for New Zealand]. “
Each year’s flu vaccines are adapted to influenza strains more likely to circulate in the community that year.
Photo: RNZ / SAMUEL RILLSTONE
Sometimes different types of vaccines are announced as “advanced”, but a better description is that “they are really subtle to different groups,” said Reynolds.
“So, for example, [one is for people aged] 65 and above – this is for people that their immune systems are not working as they used “and contains an additional agent that enhances their immune response.
He said the most important thing was for people who are in groups who are at risk if they catch the flu to be vaccinated this year.
This includes young children, pregnant people, people 65 or older, people with long -term diseases such as cardiovascular or respiratory disease, people with mental health conditions and people with committed immunological systems and more: “They are all funded,” he said.
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