Health is the greatest gift we can be given! In our day-to-day lives, we can sometimes take our health for granted with the hustle and bustle of daily life. All that can come to a halt the minute you start to feel sick.

Getting sick is never fun, but thankfully we have resources like the flu shot to help prevent us from getting seriously sick in the first place! Our AFC Urgent Care Powdersville team recommends that everyone eligible should get a flu shot every year, and we explain why below.

How Does the Flu Shot Protect Me?

The flu shot works by triggering an immune response in your body to create antibodies against the real virus. Contrary to popular belief, the flu shot cannot give you the actual flu. The virus in the shot has been deactivated, so it is not live. The antibodies that it creates certainly work against the real virus, though!

The shot changes every year to best protect you from the season’s most common flu strains, so it is important to get a flu shot every year around the same time to provide you with the best protection. Even if you consider yourself a healthy person, you should still get the shot! Just because you have been healthy up until now doesn’t guarantee you will avoid serious illness forever.

The Importance of the Flu Shot

• It reduces your risk of death due to the flu.
• It can reduce the number of days you are sick if you do get the flu.
• The shot protects you from serious complications.
• It can help with herd immunity.

Will I Avoid Complications From the Flu?

With the flu shot, your chances of developing serious complications from the flu is greatly reduced. You might end up just experiencing some mild symptoms and then overcoming the illness sooner than you would have if you hadn’t gotten the shot. You can even avoid getting sick altogether!

If you don’t get the shot, you put yourself into a higher risk category of severe complications. These include an extreme inflammatory response that can lead to multi-organ failure, sepsis or a dangerous case of pneumonia. All this can be avoided with a simple flu shot!

Fight the Flu This Year

• Get your annual flu shot.
• Wash hands for 20 seconds each time.
• Avoid others if they are sick.
• Eat well and stay hydrated.
• Make sleep a priority.
  

It’s not too late to get your flu shot this year! Come see us today at AFC Urgent Care Powdersville.