Getting the flu shot is almost a rite of passage for some. They know that scheduling an appointment with a doctor or at a local pharmacy ahead of time will ensure that the vaccine is waiting for them when they arrive. This small shot may make you feel a little rundown at first, but it will help you stay safe during the cold and flu season, which seems to grow longer with each passing year. Though you may think that you don’t need this shot because you are a healthy adult, there are still a few key reasons to get this shot.
Protects Against New Strains
The biggest reason to get this shot is because it helps protect your body against new flu strains that might pop in the future. No matter how healthy you look or feel, you don’t know how your body will respond when it comes to new strains. That strain your coworkers passed around the office last year that you never caught may not compare to a new strain that arrives this season. Getting this simple shot offers protection against both older and newer strains of the flu.
Increases Your Immune Response
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy adjusts should get this shot because it increases their immune systems responses. The CDC estimates that at least 12,000 Americans die each year and an additional 140,000 people or more will visit the hospital each year because of the flu. Your age and general health can determine the way your body responds to the flu making its way around your town, office or even home. The shot provides the boost that your immune system needs to fight off that flu and similar viruses in the future.
Stops the Spread of Viruses
Even if you think you do not need the flu shot, think about those you work with and those loved ones living in your home. Those with a weakened immune system, including the children and the elderly, are more susceptible to the flu than others. While you may feel healthy, you risk bringing germs and bacteria into your home or workplace that you spread to others and make them sick. If you want to protect your loved ones and keep them safe, get this simple shot before the season starts.
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Reduces Your Symptoms
Another reason to get the shot is because it can actually reduce the symptoms of the flu or a virus that you catch later in the season. While it cannot offer protection against all strains and flu types, it can greatly reduce the time that you spend recovering and significantly reduce some of the symptoms of that virus. Instead of dealing with a runny nose, headache, muscle pains, nausea and coughing for days at a time, you may experience fewer symptoms that you can recover from over the course of a single weekend.
Flu season in America generally lasts for a few months. Even if you feel healthy, you expose your body to germs and bacteria every time you step outside. Your kids and spouse can bring the flu home from school or work too. While healthy adults may feel that they don’t need the flu shot, this shot can protect their loved ones and keep the flu from spreading.
