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People flock to clinics and hospitals yearly to get the flu shot. Young and old alike are trying to prevent being infected with the virus. Understanding how the flu shot works is a must before getting it. Since there are many strains to the flu, the flu shot may not prevent all of them and you may still get the flu.

In late fall, you may want to start to think about getting the flu shot. That way you have it done before the flu season officially begings in late fall and early winter. Clinics, doctors offices, and many other places offer the flu shot to anyone. It is important to get the flu shot early, due to shortages that sometimes occur when clinics start running out of the antivirus.

People that are high risk for the flu may strongly want to consider the shot. People that are sixty five years or older, children six months and older with chronic health and heart problems, people with HIV/AIDS, kidney problems, or immune disorders are also strongly encouraged to get the flu shot.

The flu shot is an inactive form of three strains of the flu virus put into a syringe and given as a shot. The strains of the virus are started out by being grown in eggs and killed off. By putting a form of the killed virus in your system, it develops antibodies to guard against the flu during flu season. People research and find out which three strains of the flu may be prominent that year. Strains of the virus can change year to year also, so the vaccine itself also changes.

There is also a nasal-spray flu vaccine that just became available in 2003. It contains weakened forms of the flu virus, instead ot the killed off version inside flu shots. It is given through the nose instead of in a shot form with a needle. This vaccine may onset weak symptoms of the flu, since the virus is still live. This method of vaccine is only recommended for health people between the ages of five and fourty nine years of age, due to the chance for flu like side effects. This method of vaccination is not recommended for people with serious health problems and the elderly due to their ability to bounce back from the side effects. This vaccine is also given at the onset of flu season around late fall.

The flu shot and the nasal-spray vaccine can be given within two weeks of eachother to the same person. That way the side effects have had time to wear off. This is recommended for healthy people with no significant health problems, and not young children or the elderly. This provides an extra safeguard against the flu virus.

These are two tried and true methods to flu prevention. However, it is important to remember that the flu shot and nasal-spray vaccine will not prevent against all strains of the flu.

Learn more about this author, Lisa Miller.
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