Flu (AFLURIA QIV) vaccination
An Effective Way to Protect Yourself Against the Flu! Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children. While some people who get a flu vaccine may still get sick, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce the severity of illness.
Does simply avoiding symptomatic individuals protect you against the flu?
No. The incubation period of the flu is 1 to 3 days. An individual infected with the flu can therefore transmit the virus 1 to 3 days before he/she displays any symptoms. Furthermore, the flu virus can survive for up to 8 hours on some surfaces (for example: stainless steel) 2 Additional precautions are therefore required to avoid contracting the flu.
How to account for the rising number of flu cases despite the availability of the flu vaccine?
The flu is spread by droplet transmission. When an individual coughs, sneezes, or talks, he/she emits flu-infected droplets into the air. These droplets can then be inhaled through the mouth or the nose of other individuals. These droplets may also settle on nearby surfaces (for example: hands, door knobs, phones). Physical contact with these contaminated surfaces can, in turn, transmit the virus.