It’s that time of year again where we start encouraging our community to get vaccinated against the flu! Influenza has the potential to make you really sick, and high caseloads can have a huge impact on our community.
Avoiding illness altogether is always the best case scenario, and that starts with getting your annual flu shot early in the flu season.
You can come to AFC Urgent Care Ballantyne any day of the week for your vaccine! Read on to learn more about the benefits of getting your annual flu shot.
How Effective Is the Flu Shot?
The flu shot formulation changes a little bit from year to year based on the data surrounding the current strains. There are nine different flu vaccines available for the 2023–2024 season, and they are historically up to 60% effective in preventing the flu.
Getting your flu shot by the end of October can help you stay healthy throughout the entire season. Keep in mind that the vaccine needs about two weeks to work inside your body. Stay away from infected people, wash your hands often and get plenty of rest during this time. After the two weeks, your body has built up the right kind of antibodies that will help you ward off infection all season.
Signs You Have the Flu
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Congestion
- Body aches
- Cough
What Does the Flu Shot Do?
If you come into contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies that you have in your system can fight it off to prevent you from getting sick. Since they have developed to understand the illness, they can take care of it right away for you!
If you do still end up getting sick, you will most likely experience a milder version of the flu and your symptoms won’t last as long compared with someone who didn’t get their shot. Prioritize rest, hydration and healthy foods during this time, and you can expect to make a full recovery in about a week.
Flu-Friendly Foods
- Broth, whether by itself or in a soup
- Bananas
- Applesauce
- Oatmeal
- Toast
If you are wondering if your recent illness is the flu, come see us at AFC Urgent Care Ballantyne.
