by Mopes

Created on: January 30, 2009

Everyone has had the flu at some stage in their life. It is an incredibly common sickness that leaves your body feverish, aching, and can even cause stomach symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. It's no wonder that the flu shot is so common. With over 100 million flu shots given each year in the US, it's a surprise that more people don't know how the shot actually works.

The influenza vaccination works by injecting the same virus that causes the sickness into your body. Before it is injected, it is deactivated (or killed) so it is not able to cause sickness. Your body reacts to the virus by building antibodies to protect your body from the unfamiliar substance in your bloodstream. These antibodies remain in your body long after the deactivated virus, resulting in an immunity or resistance to the strains of flu currently circulating.

The viruses for the vaccine are grown in chicken eggs, and a chemical is used to kill the virus afterwards. For this reason, if you have an egg allergy, you should consult with your doctor before being vaccinated.

There are side effects associated with the flu shot, such as soreness at the site of injection. Despite the virus being killed, your body may show signs of sickness shortly after the shot as well, as many of the symptoms associated with the flu are actually your body defending itself from infection.

It is important to note that the strains of vaccination in circulation are constantly evolving. In fact, the flu shot is reformulated every year based on the most common strains. This means that regardless of keeping your flu vaccinations up to date, you may still become ill. There is no way to prevent 100% of the influenza outbreaks in any area. The only thing you can do is get your shot every single year, and hope for the best.

The most prevalent time of the year for outbreaks of the flu is generally in February, so if you didn't get your vaccinations at the end of the year, it's not too late in January or even in February. In fact, there are documented cases of influenza as late in the year as May. So it's never too late. Of course, it is still a good idea to get your vaccination as early as possible.

And even if you have suffered through a flu already this season, because there is so many different strains of flu, you may still want to consider getting a vaccination. Regardless of how many times you get the flu, the constantly evolving nature of the disease ensures that no one will ever be truly immune.

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