Why the Flu Shot Is Especially Important for Kids and Seniors

Influenza, also known as the flu, circulates every year, especially during the colder months. Chances are good that most adults will have had at least one case of the flu at some point in their lives.

While many people who come down with the flu fight off this respiratory illness with no lasting ill effects, for some, a case of flu isn’t anything to sneeze at. Babies, young children, and aging seniors all have an increased risk for death due to flu.

To protect the children and elders in your life, encourage your entire family to get a flu shot this winter, and make sure that children and seniors get flu shots each year. Care Fast Urgent Care provides vaccination services, including flu shots, to new and existing patients from around the Burbank, California, area. Here’s why flu shots are so important.

Increased flu risks for children and seniors

Healthy adults can often fight off the flu with just a little extra care. The Care Fast Urgent Care team offers flu testing and treatment to give people with the flu the support they need. However, both younger and older people run increased risks from the flu.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that children under age 5 can be hospitalized due to the flu with issues including dehydration, lung trouble, and even brain dysfunction. Children under age 2 run even steeper risks of hospitalization due to a case of the flu.

The CDC also reports that seniors age 65 and up account for 70%-85% of seasonal flu-related deaths each year. Older people’s immune systems may not be able to fight off the flu successfully without the boosted immunity that comes from vaccination. Seniors are likely to face complications relating to the flu, including pneumonia and hospitalization.

How vaccination can help fight off the flu

Vaccination, in the form of a yearly flu shot, offers a way to protect more vulnerable seniors and children from the serious health risks of the flu. Flu shots reduce your risk of catching the flu and also reduce your risk of a serious reaction requiring hospitalization if you do develop a case of the flu.

Each year, researchers identify the strains of flu most likely to circulate in the United States and tailor the year’s flu vaccine to offer you and your loved ones the best possible protection against infection from those influenza strains.

Flu shots are safe and effective, using inactive viruses to teach your immune system how to fight off the targeted strains of the flu. You can’t get the flu from a flu shot, but you do get immunity to specific strains and protection against severe infection.

Some people experience temporary side effects after a flu shot like soreness, redness, or swelling around the injection site, a headache, a low grade fever, or mild nausea. Flu vaccines are available in several formats, so talk to your provider at Care Fast Urgent Care if you’re concerned about injections or needles.

To learn more about the importance and benefits of a yearly flu shot, and to schedule your vaccination appointment, get in touch with the Care Fast Urgent Care team now. Visit us as a walk-in patient, schedule your appointment over the phone, or request an appointment online today.