Infographic: 5 ways to prevent the flu

Do you know how to prevent the flu? Check out these 5 easy tips.



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1. Get vaccinated

Getting vaccinated is the most important way you can protect yourself from the flu. When you get vaccinated, you’re much less likely to get sick.

2. Wash your hands often

Hand-washing is a great way to get rid of germs. Washing your hands with soap and water before and after eating, after coughing or sneezing and after using the bathroom can make a big difference when preventing flu. 

3. Stay away from people who are sick

Keeping your distance from others who have the flu can reduce your chance of getting sick. Flu viruses can spread through air and via surfaces, so stay away from people who are sick.

4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands

Touching surfaces that are contaminated with germs and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth can allow for the flu virus to enter your body.

5. Practice good hygiene

Clean surfaces and objects in your home, at work, at school and elsewhere to reduce the chances of spreading the flu.

Herd immunity. Heard of it?

August is National Immunization Awareness Month!  Watch out for more updates on vaccines coming soon! 

Image credit // Toby Amodeo

You probably know that vaccines protect your body from catching a disease. Many people get vaccinated to protect themselves. But did you also know that getting vaccinated could protect your friends, family and even strangers in your community as well?

Getting vaccinated doesn’t just prevent you from getting sick. It also stops you from spreading a disease to your friends and family. The same goes for other people. If your neighbors get vaccinated, it will keep them and those around them safe as well. If your entire block gets vaccinated, it will protect those people and people on the next block over. And if a whole lot more people get vaccinated, that’s when the “herd” idea comes in.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that herd immunity, also known as community immunity, is when the majority of people in a community get vaccinated. 

Image credit // CDC / Judy Schmidt

People who get vaccinated are also protecting people who can’t get vaccinated, like newborns or those whose immune systems don’t work well. The more people who get vaccinated, the safer everyone else will be.

Everyone can play a role in improving their health and those around them by getting vaccinated.  Check out our free Get Ready fact sheet on vaccinations here!

Protect your community and join the herd!

Get Ready Mailbag: What do I need to know about the measles outbreak?

Welcome to another installment of the Get Ready Mailbag, when we take time to answer questions sent our way by readers like you. Check out these questions about the recent measles outbreak, which is linked to Disney theme parks in California.

I was planning to take my children to Disneyland this summer, but these measles cases have me worried. I don't want to endanger my kids. Should we stay home instead?
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents to vaccinate their children to protect them against measles. However, if your children are too young to get vaccinated against the disease — the first round of vaccinations is recommended at 12 to 15 months of age — public health experts are recommending that you keep them away from people who are not vaccinated as well as places where there are large crowds, such as malls, theme parks and airports.

This has been on the news all the time where I live. Why is there so much talk about this measles outbreak?
Because it’s serious. Measles is not a disease to be taken lightly. Infected people can have severe complications, like pneumonia and encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. And some people even die from the measles. According to the World Health Organization, as recently as 1980, measles caused 2.6 million deaths each year. Measles is especially dangerous for infants or anyone with pre-existing health problems.

The good news is that the death rate from measles dropped by 75 percent from 2000 to 2013 as a result of worldwide vaccination programs. So we know that vaccinations work.

This outbreak also shows what happens when people are not protected. CDC is reporting that there are 102 cases of measles in 14 states as of January 30, 2015 most of which are related to the Disneyland outbreak.  The Disneyland outbreak has contributed to a record high number of U.S. measles cases since 2000, when the disease was eliminated from this country.

I know parents who don’t vaccinate their children, should I be concerned for my family to be around them?
Not vaccinating children against measles is a bad idea. Some places have high rates of people who aren’t vaccinated. This makes diseases spread faster and further, and puts unprotected children who live in those communities at greater risk. The best protection for your kids is to make sure they are vaccinated.

I’ve heard that some people who are vaccinated come down with measles anyway. So why should I bother?
True, there are reports of measles cases among people who may already been vaccinated. However, here are some points to remember:

• Most people who have been vaccinated for measles and still become infected were vaccinated a long time ago — 30 years or more, so their protection may be lower. During an active outbreak, people who were vaccinated long ago should consider getting a booster dose.
• No vaccination is a 100 percent sure thing. However, it is better to be protected.
• By getting your vaccination, you are helping to protect those around you —especially those who cannot be vaccinated for some reason — and reduce the measles virus from circulating.

How can I tell if someone is spreading the measles?

Unfortunately, people with measles are contagious before they start to show symptoms. So the best way to protect your health and your children is to stay up–to-date on vaccination schedules. And don’t forget to check out APHA’s Get Ready fact sheets for more information about vaccines.

Have a question you want answered? Send an email to getready@apha.org.

5 reasons you still need a flu vaccination

Make pencils #2 to immunizations on your back to school list

CDC / James Gatheny

It’s that time of year again. Children and teens are heading back to school after summer break.

As parents are preparing for the first day of school, it’s also important to make sure their child’s immunizations are up to date.

Why are vaccinations important? Outbreaks still happen. For example, in 2009-2010 there was an outbreak of mumps that involved 3,000 people, most of whom were high school students.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, staying up to date on vaccinations is the best way to protect your child as well as your community and schools from outbreaks. Vaccinations provide protection from infectious diseases such as diphtheria, human papillomavirus, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, pertussis, polio, tetanus, mumps and measles. Many schools require that students are current on their vaccinations before classes start.

Check out CDC’s Adolescent Immunization Scheduler as well as Get Ready’s vaccines fact sheets for kids and teens.



 

Immunizations: why you need to stay up to date

Imagine that there’s a virus that makes you very sick, or may even kill you. This virus is easy to spread to other people. And because it’s a virus, antibiotics don’t work against it. Wouldn’t you do whatever you could to avoid getting sick from that virus? And wouldn’t you want to protect your family, friends and co-workers? 

No imagination needed. There are viruses that cause diseases like the one described above, such as measles, mumps, influenza, chickenpox and polio. The good news is that we can protect ourselves and those around us from many diseases by staying up to date on required immunizations.

What is immunization? It’s another way of saying that you have been vaccinated against a certain disease. There are two ways to think about how immunization protects us. The first way is that immunization against a certain disease protects you from the bug that causes the disease. The second way immunization protects is that if you’re immunized, you won’t be spreading the disease to others. Immunization “breaks the chain” by helping you to not catch or spread the disease from or to other people. 

So check your immunization record — even if you’re an adult! — and records for your children and pets. If the immunization record is not up to date or is incomplete, take care of that as soon as possible.

Check out APHA’s Get Ready website for more information on how you can do your part to stay protected from diseases that can be prevented through immunization.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Get free resources and materials to share in your community. 

Get the facts about the Flu and Flu Vaccine

Today’s guest blog is by Michael Jhung, MD, MPH, MS, a medical officer for the Surveillance and Outbreak Response Team in the Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
 
I bet you’ve heard a statement or two about seasonal flu and the flu vaccine and wondered if it was true or not. To help you make sense of those statements, I’d like to explain some of the important facts about seasonal flu and flu vaccination.
 
Flu vaccines cannot give you the flu. The flu vaccine contains viruses that are either killed or weakened, which means they cannot cause infection. There are even some flu vaccines that contain no flu viruses at all. Sometimes, though, people mistake the mild side effects from vaccination for actual flu illness and, at other times, people can still get the flu even after they’ve had the flu vaccine. Common flu shot side effects are a sore arm and, sometimes, a low fever or achiness. The nasal spray flu vaccine might cause congestion, runny nose, sore throat or a cough. Side effects are often mild and last one to two days.



CDC/James Gathany

Flu can be a very serious disease. Some people are at a higher risk of complications from flu that can result in hospitalization and sometimes death. This includes young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with certain chronic health conditions, asthma, diabetes or heart disease. Keep in mind though that even healthy children and adults can get sick with flu and spread it to others. Getting vaccinated is the best protection against influenza, even if you’ve already had the flu this fall or winter.
 
You need to get a flu vaccine every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says annual vaccination for everyone 6 months and older is necessary because flu viruses are constantly changing, and flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against the viruses research indicates will be most common during the upcoming flu season. Additionally, a person’s immune protection from the vaccine declines over time. It’s important to remember that some children 6 months through 8 years will need two flu vaccines spaced at least 28 days apart during their first year of vaccination.
 
As long as the flu is circulating, flu vaccination should continue. A flu vaccination protects you and those around you. Seasonal flu usually peaks in January or February, but can occur as late as May. If you haven’t gotten your flu vaccine yet, find a vaccine provider near you at http://vaccine.healthmap.org/.
 
Join @CDCFlu and @GetReady on social media to share the news of your vaccination by posting a message using #vaxwithme. In doing so, you will help remind and encourage others to get vaccinated – it’s the best protection.

The benefits of getting your flu vaccination

Winter — aka flu season in the U.S.— is here and let’s face it, the flu is no fun. Fever, cough, aches, pains: ugh! Luckily, there’s a great way to help prevent all that. Namely, a flu vaccination.
 
Let’s focus for a moment on why you should get your flu vaccine. First off, for some people, the flu is more than just “no fun,” it’s dangerous. People at high risk for serious complications from the flu include seniors, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease.

FluMIst (CDC/ Douglas Jordan, M.A.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 31 million flu-related illnesses last flu season in the U.S. and 381,000 people were hospitalized because of them.

Secondly, the flu can be deadly. Thousands of deaths from flu occur every year and, sadly, 169 were among U.S. children last season.

 

What can you do? Get your flu vaccination. It’s not too late! The flu vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older and comes in a variety of options, including nasal and egg-free versions. There’s even one that’s injected under the skin with a small needle, for those who are squeamish.

 
When you get vaccinated against the flu not only do you lower your chance of getting it, you lower the chance of spreading it to children and other at-risk people you care about. And if you do get the flu, your symptoms won’t be as bad and you’ll get well faster.

At least six children have already died from the flu this season, according to CDC. Flu cases are occurring in every state, with many states reporting widespread flu activity. There have also been reports of severe respiratory illness among young and middle-aged adults infected with a type of flu virus known as pH1N1.

The good news is that vaccinations prevented more than 6 million flu-related illnesses last season in the U.S. They also prevented 79,000 people from going to the hospital because of the flu — enough to fill a large football stadium! Let’s all do our part to get those numbers higher this year. Find a flu shot vaccination location near you and sign up to track the flu in real time in your community.

Now’s the time to update your vaccinations

Fall is here, and that means the school year is well underway. One of the most important ways to prepare your kids for school is to keep up with their immunizations.

In observance of National Immunization Awareness Month in August, the Get Ready Report podcast team spoke with Bruce Gellin, director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Program Office, about the important role immunization plays in protectingfamiliesfrom disease.

Keep these facts about immunization from Gellin in mind:

• The recommended vaccines for children prevent 14 serious infections and their complications.
• The flu shot changes every year, and is designed to protect against the virus strains that are most likely to cause flu that season. The flu vaccine is available before flu comes to your community.In fact, some pharmacies are offering the vaccine already.
• Vaccine recommendations and schedules depend on your age.

“Vaccines aren’t only for kids,” Gellin told APHA’s Get Ready campaign. “In fact, now they are now used across the lifespan - not just for kids, but adults, pregnant women, adolescents.”

Remember: the sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner you are protected from infectious diseases. Listen to our new podcast or read the transcript.

For more information on vaccinations, check out our fact sheet series, with information on vaccines for kids, teens and adults.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

The back-to-school rush is well underway. In fact, for some students, summer vacation is already over. With August observed as National Immunization Awareness Month, it’s a perfect time to think about vaccinations and remind family, friends and co-workers to catch up on their shots.

Immunizations save lives and protect communities. Thanks to vaccinations, many disease threats have been eliminated or greatly reduced in the United States.

Immunizations aren’t just for babies. In fact, they can help everyone protect themselves from serious diseases and illnesses. For example, young kids need shots to protect them against diseases such as polio and hepatitis, while older kids need immunizations for meningitis and HPV.

Access the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization schedules to see which immunizations are right for you and your family.

For more information on immunizations, check out our Get Ready vaccination fact sheet. Also, download and share our vaccination fact sheets with information on kids, teens and adults.