Protection Against Influenza

A lot of kids are getting their flu shots these past few weeks because of the Swine Flu scare. Although the current flu vaccines available now, Fluarix and Vaxigrip, do not give protection against the Influenza A H1N1 virus, I still recommend getting a flu shot to give extra protection for the kids during the cold months.

Flu vaccines are used to protect us against influenza. It is given as early as 6 months old. (My nephew got his first shot when he was seven months old.) For first timers, a second dose is advised 4 weeks after. The vaccine will only prevent influenza caused by one of the 3 strains included in the vaccine and also from those strains closely related to them. Protection is effective 2-3 weeks after getting the shot.

Common side effects of flu vaccines are the following: headache, sweating, muscular pain, joint pain, fever, malaise, shivering, fatigue and local reactions such as redness, swelling, pain or bruising. These usually last for 1-2 days only.

Of course, after getting the flu shot, I also advise the pneumococcal vaccine - pneumo 23 or IPD vaccine. There are cases when a simple upper respiratory tract infection can also lead to pneumonia.