Each parent is concerned about the health status of their baby. In order to protect the child, vaccinations were invented. Vaccination begins to be carried out already from the first days of the baby's life. In the first year, a child should be vaccinated against many dangerous diseases. However, not all injections are required. This article will discuss whether a person needs flu vaccination. Can I get the vaccine wet? How to behave before an injection? You will learn all this further.
Should I get a flu shot?
Most parents ask this question. However, if you do not have your own children, then do not rush to quit reading the article. After all, vaccination is carried out among the adult population. Many people come to the therapist and ask: "Should I get a flu shot or not?" Most doctors insist on vaccination, but this does not always convince patients. Why is there such a difference of opinion? Some people vaccinate annually, while others categorically resist such manipulations.
It is worth noting that this vaccination is not mandatory. Anyone from the age of six months can make it.
Why is a flu shot considered useless?
Some people give a negative answer when asked if they should get the flu shot. Why? As you know, in the world there are many varieties of this disease: bird flu, swine flu and so on. When vaccinating, you are given a substance that gives reliable immunity against only one specific strain. This means that the rest of the disease is still dangerous for you.
Some patients do not see the point in administering a vaccine against one strain, since this does not give any guarantee that you will not get another type of disease. Such people often simply do not come for annual vaccination or write down their rejection.
Doctors also do not recommend flu shots for children less than six months old. During this period, the child’s immunity is still quite unstable, and the vaccine may just be useless.
Why do you need a flu shot?
If you have to contact a large number of people daily, then you should definitely get vaccinated. Also, parents of those children who attend preschool and school educational institutions should protect their babies from the flu virus. Pediatricians and therapists insist that the vaccine should be given annually. Even if you get any other flu strain, you can avoid serious complications.
In children and adults who have chronic diseases of the respiratory system, the disease is particularly acute. Such patients should be first on vaccination lists.
You need to do a flu shot. It will not do you any harm, but it can protect you in contact with a sick person.
Before vaccination
If you have not yet decided whether to vaccinate, then you need to find out some of the subtleties of the process. Be sure to visit a doctor and talk with him about this topic. Ask to tell you whether to get a flu shot (helpful tips often change people's minds in this case). Those patients who categorically refused vaccination suddenly agree to it.
In the event that your decision is positive, and you want to introduce protection for immunity, then you should familiarize yourself with the method of immunization. Be sure to check with your doctor to see if you can get a flu shot. Also find out what kind of preparation for manipulation is needed, and what to do after it.
Can I get a flu shot?
This question is one of the most exciting. It is worth noting that the opinions of experts differ here. Some argue that water can in no way affect the effect of the drug administered. Others point out that an unexpected reaction may occur. Let's try to understand in detail whether it is possible to wet the flu shot and when to do it.
Immediately after vaccine administration
Immediately after the nurse introduces a drug that forms a stable immunity to the disease, it is absolutely impossible to wet the injection site. Until the wound is healed and blood droplets are clotted, particles of water can get into the injured skin and react with the vaccine. The consequences of this phenomenon can be very unexpected. It all depends on which strain was used. If one component of the vaccine may not respond in any way to this effect, then the other can cause severe allergies.
On the day of vaccination
Most doctors strongly do not recommend exposing the injection site to water on the first day. What can we say about the bath, sauna or open water. Despite this, laboratory assistants sometimes allow light showers on the day the vaccine is administered.
Two days after vaccination
It is this amount of time that some doctors recommend refraining from water procedures. This is explained by the fact that during the first day an allergic reaction to some components may occur. With this combination of circumstances, the doctor needs to be sure that there was no exposure to external irritants, such as a hard cart, soap or washcloth.
What about the patient?
What conclusion follows from the foregoing? Can I get a flu shot? Be sure to check with your GP. If the vaccine is administered to a child, then it is worth getting the permission of a pediatrician before bathing the baby.
If you have been vaccinated against the flu more than once, and you have never had an allergy, then you can wet the injection site. However, refrain from a hot bath and strong rubbing at the injection site. If there is any strange reaction (redness, rash, temperature, etc.), consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Now you know what a flu shot is. Whether vaccination is necessary for you or your child is up to you. Remember that by refusing vaccination, you take full responsibility for health. Get vaccines and don't get sick!