Influenza Vaccination (인플루엔자 예방접종)

Anyone who's ever suffered the coughs, chills, and sore muscles caused by influenza, or the flu, knows how unpleasant it can be―and to thousands of people with compromised immune systems, it can be deadly. That's why the government provides flu vaccinations each year, starting in the autumn, to help prevent the spread of influenza to the people who are most at risk.

 

왜냐하면 인플루엔자 바이러스는 끊임없이 돌연변이가 되기 때문에 과학자들은 매년 백신을 변경해야 한다. 그들은 비활동성인(죽은) 바이러스들로 독감백신을 생산하며 그래서 사람들이 실제적으로 백신으로 부터 감기에 걸리진 않지만, 그들은 감기 비슷한 증상을 경험하기도 한다. 각 백신은 과학자들이 앞으로 몇달 동안 유행할 것으로 예상되는 다양한 변종으로부터 보호하기 위해 두 개의 A 형 인플루엔자 바이러스와 한 개의 B 형 인플루엔자 바이러스를 포함하고 있다.

 

Because children and elderly people have weaker immune systems than healthy adults, the government recommends that everyone under age 18 or more than 50 get a flu vaccination annually. (However, babies younger than 6 months should not receive a flu vaccine.) People with chronic illnesses should be vaccinated too, as should anyone who is in close contact with these groups, such as doctors and nurses.

 

독감백신은 전형적으로 주사제나 코 스프레이로 주어진다. 두 형태의 백신들은 일반적으로 독감 계절의 초기에 주어지는데, 10월이나 혹은 11월, 그리고 새해로 들어갈 때 사용가능하다.

 

People who are vaccinated should not get the flu, or at worst should get a much milder version. Protection starts approximately 2 weeks after receiving the vaccine, although studies on the effectiveness of the flu shots―especially among children and the elderly―have been mixed. Some research has suggested that doing physical activities, such as practicing qigong (a Chinese blend of exercise and meditation) or lifting weights, before a flu inoculation may increase the shot's effectiveness.

 

 

 

Mercury-free vaccines are recommended for children under 2 years old and women who expect to be past the third month of pregnancy during flu season.

 

Although most people recover quickly from the flu, it has historically been one of history's deadliest disease. A flu pandemic that began in 1918 killed 25 million people across the world―more deaths than were suffered by all sides World War Ⅰ, which concluded in the same year.

 

Anyone who has had a severe allergic reaction to chickens or egg protein should not have a flu shot.