Be Flu Free! Don’t Let These Myths InFLUence You!

♪ [music] ♪ The flu is serious business, resulting in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year. However, misconceptions about the flu are as common as the illness itself. So, it’s crucial to address what is fact and what is fiction. Let’s debunk some of the most common myths that prevent people from getting the vaccine. Remember, the flu shot is the best way to be flu free. Myth number one, the flu isn’t that bad. Most people just think of the flu as a very bad cold. It’s not really that bad. Not true at all. When you catch the flu you typically feel terrible. In addition to congestion and cough, you will likely have nasty body aches, and fever. You feel exhausted, and getting out of bed is a chore. In short, you feel like you’ve been hit by a Mack truck. Going to work is inconceivable and engaging in your favorite activities like family pizza night or your weekly tennis match is out of the picture. In addition to causing lost work days and plenty of short-term misery, the flu hospitalizes 200,000 people and kills between 3,000 and 49,000 people each yearin the U.S. To put it in context, that makes the flu as deadly a killer as breast cancer. Myth number two, I’m healthy, so I don’t need the flu vaccine. I know the health nuts are still not convinced. You go to yoga five times per week, take your vitamin supplements, eat a vegetarian diet full of organic antioxidant-containing leafy greens. You’re the model of health and wellness. The flu cannot break down your immune defences. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is just not true. Anyone can become sick with the flu and experience serious complications regardless of health, fitness, and activity levels. Remember, protecting yourself is not the only reason to get vaccinated. Healthy adults often forget that while they may be able to quickly recover from any flu-related complications, other members of their family might not. People with the weakest defenses like infants under six months can not get the flu vaccine. Failure to get yourself vaccinated could endanger your children. Myth number three, I can protect myself from the flu by washing my hands and bundling up in cold weather. If only it were this easy. Unfortunately, good hygiene cannot fully protect you against the flu. Influenza is an airbornevirus most often spread by airborne droplets made when people cough, sneeze, or talk. So, although washing your hands is always a good practice, it cannot eliminate your risk of inhaling those droplets, catching the flu. Despite what grandma says, going outside in the winter without a hat will not increase your risk of catching the flu. Neither outdoor temperature nor the number of clothing layers you wear have any effect on your body’s resistance to the flu. Myth number four, I got the flu shot last year, so I don’t need to get it again. You got the flu shot last year? Good for you. You still need to get another shot this year. First of all, the body’s immune response to vaccination decreases over time, so the vaccination is needed each year to keep your defenses at their strongest. Secondly, the formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed every single year so that the current vaccine contains protection against the most commonly circulating strains to keep up with the constantly evolving flu virus. Myth number five, I already got sick this year; I can’t catch the flu again. You were already sick and miserable this year? Get a flu shot so you don’t have to experience that misery again. Many people mistakenly assume that if they’ve already had a case of the flu, they are immune for the rest of the year. Remember, multiple strains of the virus circulate each year so it’s quite possible that you could get infected with one type of virus, and then again with another. The flu vaccine however, protects against the three to four most common strains of the virus. Offering additional protection from any further illness and unhappiness. Myth number six, antibiotics can fight the flu; I’ll just take some pills if I get sick. Unfortunately, antibiotics have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the flu. Antibiotics fight bacteria not viruses and the flu is caused by a virus. You can’t just take antibiotics and expect to be feeling better in a few hours. There are a few treatment options for the flu such as antiviral drugs, but they are most effective if taken within 48 hours of symptom onset. However, these drugs do not cure the flu. They just make you sick for a day or two less and make you less contagious to others. Myth number seven, the flu shot can give you the flu. This myth drives the experts bonkers. For the record, there is simply no way the flu shot can give you the flu. Injectable flu vaccines contain only dead virus, and a dead virus is dead. It cannot infect you. Note that the flu mist nasal spray vaccine does contain live virus, but it has been specifically engineered to remove the parts of the virus that make people sick. Why does this myth persist despite it’s scientific impossibility? Well, flu season coincides with the time of the year when bugs causing colds and respiratory illnesses are in the air. Sometimes people get the flu shot, and then get sick a couple of days later with an unrelated flu virus. What’s to blame? Probably your coworker with the runny nose, not the flu shot. Myth number eight, you need a doctor’s appointment for a shot. Think you can only get the flu shot from your doctor? Not true. We understand that no one wants to wait weeks to schedule an appointment or frankly just go to the doctor in the first place. Take time off from work to drive to your doctor’s office, and then have to sit in a waiting room full of sick people for an hour, when you’re trying to prevent illnesses in the first place. Luckily, Passport Health provides a convenient solution. We have over 230 clinics in North America conveniently located close to your home or office in which you can get your flu vaccination throughout the year. We accommodate last-minute appointments, so there’s no need to schedule weeks in advance, and we serve a healthy clientele. Better yet, we provide on-site flu clinics at your office location. We bring the vaccine to you, so there’s no need to schedule an appointment or take time off from work to get your flu shot. You are now a much more informed flu consumer. If you hadn’t had your flu vaccine yet, go get it and encourage your family and co-workers to do the same. You could spare yourself, your loved ones and your office a lot of misery. Be smart. Be flu free with the flu vaccine from Passport Health this flu season. ♪ [music] ♪