Why you should get the flu shot this year

You have already taken the first two doses of the coronavirus vaccine and are preparing for the third dose. But in addition to this vaccine, should you also plan for the flu one? According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini , the previous year due to the restrictive measures and the extensive use of masks, the cases of the flu may have been minimal, however, the flu leads many people to the hospital and causes many deaths. According to the same source, in the winter of 2015-2016, due to the flu, more than 400 patients had to be admitted to the ICU, while 200 deaths were reported, and in the period 2018-2019, 374 ICU hospitalizations and 107 deaths were recorded. Another reason you need to protect yourself against the flu is that if the disease coexists in the same organism as the coronavirus the burden will be enormous and the consequences can even be fatal. The third and final reason is that this year the measures are not so strict, not only by the government, so there is a chance that a flu epidemic will break out. We should not be afraid of the flu vaccine because unlike the coronavirus one the side effects are rare and mild. These include a sore arm, headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

– People over 60 – Medical staff – Those caring for children under 6 months or people at high risk when they cannot be vaccinated to protect them -Smokers -High-risk individuals 6 months and older and adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, chronic heart, kidney and liver disease, reduced defense (due to underlying malignancy, taking cortisone and other antineoplastic drugs) , pregnant women, children taking chronic aspirin,  such as faculty students, institutions for the chronically ill and nursing homes, detention facilities, nursing staff, and in refugee-immigrant accommodation centers, the homeless and finally veterinarians, poultry farmers, pig farmers, breeders, slaughterers and generally people who come into regular contact with birds or pigs. Giota Florou Sources: kathimerini.gr, hygeia.gr Recent Articles