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Buying into flu myths
is hazardous to your health
Not getting a flu shot because
you think it is going to give
you the flu could be the worst
mistake you make this winter.
“The vaccine does not contain a live
virus, so it’s impossible for the shot to
give a person the flu,” Dr. Jeff Kalina,
associate medical director of emergency
medicine at The Methodist Hospital in
Houston. “This is one myth that people
need to forget about because it is simply
not true. The flu shot saves lives.”
Flu season runs from November
through March. It is important to get a
shot as soon as possible, because it
takes about two weeks for the vaccine to
take effect. For children who are afraid
of needles, a nasal-spray flu vaccine
has been proven to provide protection
against strains of the flu. The flu virus is
spread mainly from person-to-person,
when the infected person coughs or
sneezes. However, you can also catch
it by touching something with the flu
virus on it and then putting your hand
to your nose or mouth. This is why it is
especially important to practice good
hand hygiene during flu season.
In the United States, between five and
20 percent of the population gets the flu
every year. More than 200,000 people
are hospitalized with flu-like symptoms,
and more than 35,000 people die from
the flu every year.
“The elderly and people with heart
disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and
HIV/AIDS are all in the high-risk category
for contracting the flu,” Kalina said.
“Influenza kills thousands every year,
and what’s sad is the illness is totally
preventable. All you have to do is get a
flu shot once a year.”
However, there are groups who should
not receive the vaccine. Those include
people with a severe allergy to chicken
eggs, people who have had a severe
reaction to the vaccine in the past,
children less than six months of age, and
people with illness who have a high fever
should wait until the symptoms lessen.
Another misconception is people
have a common cold, but they think they
have the flu, and unnecessarily crowd
emergency rooms during the winter.
“When you have the flu, you will have
a high fever, cough, and severe muscle
aches for anywhere from three to five
days,” Kalina said. “Vomiting, diarrhea,
upper respiratory congestion, and the
sniffles have nothing to do with the flu.”
For more information regarding this article or to talk with an patient representative please use the following contact information:
Methodist International Services
6560 Fannin ST 220
Houston, Texas 77030
Telephone: (713) 441-2340
Fax: (713) 793-7097
Email: methodistinternational@tmh.tmc.edu
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