▲Influenza vaccine should be vaccinated every year. (Photo provided / Yu Yirui)
Text / Yu Yirui
▲Influenza vaccine available in Taiwan in 2022
October is flu vaccination time; the influenza virus mutates every year, so it is recommended that you get a flu shot every year.
Influenza non-cold vaccine has no protective effect against colds
At the same time as vaccination, patients often ask several types of questions, such as: “Can you catch a cold after getting the flu vaccine?” At present, there is no relevant research to prove that the flu vaccine can cause a cold. Colds are not protective.
“Which brands of influenza vaccines are available?” At present, the three publicly funded pharmaceutical companies cooperate with Sanofi, Guoguang and Toyo. At their own expense, there is a pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to choose from, all of which are quadrivalent influenza. Vaccines provide some degree of protection against influenza.
Publicly-funded flu vaccines cannot choose brands
The recommended age group for vaccination, except Guoguang provides vaccination over 3 years old, the other three can be vaccinated over 6 months. The part that reminds the public in particular is that the brand of the public-funded influenza vaccine cannot be selected, depending on what public-funded vaccines are currently available in the institution; if you want to choose your own, you need to pay for it at your own expense.
It can be administered to different parts at the same time as the new crown vaccine
“Which vaccines can be given with the flu vaccine?” “Can it be given with the COVID-19 vaccine?” are also frequently asked questions by many patients. Because influenza vaccine is not a live attenuated vaccine, it can be vaccinated together with other vaccines in different parts.
It is recommended that groups eligible for public-funded influenza vaccination should be vaccinated as soon as possible once a year; the priority groups for vaccination are: high-risk groups such as those over 65 years old, diabetes, obesity, and poor liver, kidney, heart and lung conditions. In addition, in addition to using influenza vaccines to strengthen influenza protection, it is recommended that this group discuss with the doctor which vaccines are suitable for simultaneous vaccination according to their health conditions, such as: Streptococcus pneumococcal vaccine, shingles vaccine, hepatitis vaccine, etc.
If the public does not meet the qualifications for public-funded slaughtering, they can also consider slaughtering at their own expense. Prior vaccinations to enhance immunity are better than subsequent painstaking treatment.
(The author is the director of the Community Medicine Department of Yuanrong Hospital and a weight loss clinician)
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