You’ve probably had the common cold many, many times in your life and you’ve probably had the flu a significantly less number of times. The common cold has so many different strains that your body simply can’t recognize it every time it enters your body. The flu is an influenza virus that can come in many forms as well but not as many forms as the cold. Your body builds up antibodies to fight off the flu but only after it’s been exposed to that particular strain. The flu forms range from very mild or fairly severe. This is why scientists and researchers are working so hard to find vaccines to fight the flu in it’s seasonal and multiple forms. If they can expose your body to a small and inactive dose of the virus, your body will go into action creating antibodies specifically meant for that particular strain and then when it enters your body through common forms, your body will already be prepared to fight it off. It’s like leaking a secret before the attack hits.

The Debate
There is a lot of controversy over vaccinations in general, but few are as heated at the flu shot. There are claims that the flu shot is unsafe for people, that they can cause autism, retardation, miscarriage or even death. Many people believe they are unsafe for pregnant women and children, that the flu shot costs too much, or that inappropriate and harmful substances are being mixed with the flu shot and injected into people. These are myths, incorrect theories, and fear tactics to scare people away from having flu shots. The flu shot is very safe and has been well tested before being released to the general public. It is recommended for people in specific categories and is meant to help people fight off the virus before being exposed to it when it’s live. Flu shots are also free in most states.

Who Should Get A Flu Shot?
Each year the FDA approves a vaccine for the seasonal flu or flues. Those that are more susceptible to the more serious side effects of the flu should get flu shots seasonally so as to prevent the worse possible case. The ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommends that the following people get the flu vaccine annually:
children between 6 months and 19 years old
pregnant women
persons with a chronic illness or medical condition
persons over 50 years old
persons working in health care, nursing facilities or long term health care facilities

Types of Flu Vaccine
There are 2 types of flu vaccine that persons can receive to help avoid suffering from the flu. The first is the actual flu shot. This shot will provide an injection of the killed virus into the persons arm. Since the virus is dead, it should not cause the flu in the person. It should simply alert the antibodies in the body to create a defense mechanism against viruses that look like that particular strain.

The second type of flu vaccine is the nasal spray vaccine that is made of live but weakened flu viruses. Because these viruses are weakened, they should not cause the flu either. The effect in the body should be the same except that some claim the body can more effectively fight the strain when it’s alive. This particular type of vaccine is recommended for persons between 2 and 49 years old that have overall healthy immune systems and who are not pregnant.

What If I Get Sick?
Most of the time, your body can handle the sickness that enters into it. However, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend that persons feeling flu like symptoms follow these procedures:
Get a doctors diagnosis and have tests run if you feel it necessary
Recognize the symptoms and be cautious of the most dangerous ones
Treat what symptoms you can and seek professional help when needed
Take care of yourself so that you can minimize the time of infection
Avoid spreading the illness to others thus minimizing the overall damage that can be done

Many organizations are working together to track and monitor outbreaks of the flu and the various strains of the flu so that vaccines can be made to prevent them. Outbreaks are most common during the fall through spring months and can be mild or severe. Flu shots are being made available as quickly and as effectively as possible for those who wish to get a flu vaccine and prevent the symptoms and side effects as well as the spreading of the flu.

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