• Question: Do flu shots really help to prevent the flu? Is it ok if you don't get one?

    Asked by amylivesatstarbucks to Laura, Livia on 8 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Laura Ginesi

      Laura Ginesi answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      Generally scientists agree that vaccines can prevent flu,

      How effective the vaccine is changes from year to year. Shots are targeting two different strains of the influenza virus, A and B, but ithe virus that changes very rapidly so a new vaccine is developed each year.

      Not everybody has the shots. Influenza makes most people feel really rotten. For some people – like the elderly, people with asthma or diabetes, babies for example – ‘flu cam lead to more serious diseases so they are offered vaccine every year.

      If you need advice about whether you might need it, then the best person to speak to is your GP or school nurse or another health professional who would think about your risk and help you to decide.

    • Photo: Livia Carvalho

      Livia Carvalho answered on 10 Nov 2017:

      Yes, flu vaccines really help prevent flu. There are several strands of flu and every season there is a new strand(s) going around. Because these viruses mutate very much, flu vaccines are very effective in that season, but will probably not prevent you from flu in the next season for example.

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