Influenza or flu is an illness caused by different types of virus strains that can change every year. This is the reason why we need to be vaccinated every year. Its usual manifestations are fever, cough, headache, malaise, sorethroat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The risk of being infected with influenza is greatest during the cold or rainy season so it is recommended to get your flu shot now.
The 2010 flu vaccine by Sanofi Pasteur will protect you and your child against three strains of virus contained in the vaccine after about 2 to 3 weeks of injection. The incubation period for flu is a few days, so if your are exposed to flu immediately before or after your vaccination, you and your child can still develop the infection.
The current flu vaccine available now protects us from the following strains:
1. A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like strain
2. A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like strain
3.B/Brisbane/60/2008-like strain
The vaccine will not protect you against the common cold, even though some of the symptoms are similar to flu. And as with all vaccines, it may not also fully protect all persons who are vaccinated.
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