Don’t tempt fate: vaccinate!
9 April 2018
The influenza (flu) season is upon us and this year’s new flu vaccination is now available. If you’ve ever had flu, you’ll know exactly how unpleasant it can be and how much worse it is than a common cold. While it is a wholly unpleasant experience for the majority of people, sadly, flu can be fatal for those with lower immunity, such as the elderly.
Older people are at higher risk from flu because their immune systems do not respond as well, and even though the flu vaccination is available to all residents in our homes, they may still become infected by the flu virus. This is why we encourage all those in our community who have any contact with the people in our care, to have a flu vaccination each year.
Vasey RSL Care pays for annual flu vaccinations for staff and we encourage all staff to take advantage of this. If staff come in contact with the flu, the antibodies in their immune system will fight off the attack. This prevents them from being a host and potentially spreading the virus to others – residents, co-workers, volunteers, visiting health professionals – and their own family and friends. By being vaccinated, we reduce the number of hosts the virus has available to help it spread.
Flu results in the deaths of more than 3,000 Australians over the age of 50 each year. Furthermore, it has taken more children’s lives than any other vaccine-preventable disease in Australia between 2005 and 2014.
If a person is not vaccinated and develops a mild case of flu, they become a host and they may not even recognise they have it: they could then pass this onto someone else – a resident or a family member – and it could be serious for that person.
The virus in the vaccine is dead so it cannot give you the flu. Sometimes, people experience some symptoms after getting the vaccination, and these are usually related to the vaccine generating the expected immune response. This is how vaccines work: they ‘train’ your immune system to recognise parts of the flu virus so your body can respond effectively when it comes across the real thing.
It takes about two weeks for a healthy immune system to develop enough antibodies and be fully prepared for the real virus, so it is possible to get the flu during that time.
Each year, the experts who advise Government on what viruses should be included in the vaccine do their best to assess which are the most likely strains to cause outbreaks. This year, the vaccine that is available is a quadrivalent vaccine – it protects against four strains of the flu virus.
Flu vaccination, unlike measles for example, does not offer the same long term protection. The flu vaccination generally lasts from 4 to 12 months: as a result, annual vaccinations are required to provide ongoing protection. Although the flu vaccine is not perfect, it is far better than no protection at all. Like any form of protection it is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.
To provide the best protection to all those in our care, we offer the following advise:
- Get your flu vaccination as soon as possible
- Wash your hands regularly
- Stay away if you feel unwell