Have you or a loved one ever had a flu shot and then still become ill from the disease? If so, you may have asked yourself why you got the shot in the first place. But the point of flu shots isn’t necessarily to keep people from catching the disease as much as it is to keep them from becoming seriously ill and helping decrease your flu risk and the spread of influenza.
Therefore, even though you might still get sick, it’s highly recommended that you get a flu shot to stop the spread of the disease and save lives, potentially your own.
Flu vaccines are especially important for our senior loved ones, who can be more vulnerable to complications from respiratory viruses.
Who is most at risk for complications from the flu?
- Senior citizens aged 65 or older
- Adults with chronic health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease
- Pregnant women
Vaccinations help make up for the lack of exposure to influenza during the off-season. The vaccine provides a “wake-up call” to our immune systems, as well as a plan of attack for our bodies to follow as they fight the disease.
But the question still persists—why do we sometimes get the flu after getting a flu vaccination?
The answer—it’s very difficult to shut down a virus completely. Viruses mutate over time, helping them elude the defenses the vaccination helps our bodies build up. The longer the flu season, the more opportunities the virus has to mutate and the higher your flu risk.
In short, influenza is a moving target—the virus that is circulating in November might be different than what’s out there in January. While your senior loved one’s vaccine may not completely stop influenza from making them feel crummy for a few days, the vaccination can make all the difference between the flu being an annoyance or a life-threatening situation that puts a person— especially a person 65 or older—in the hospital.
The Bottom Line
A flu vaccination might not be a magical cure that makes us entirely immune to the virus, but it can be a game-changer when it comes to your flu risk, drastically decreasing its ability to spread and to inflict serious illness—especially on our senior loved ones.
Learn more about protecting your health as you age by visiting Bethesda’s Health & Wellness Blog.
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