The Flu Vaccine – It’s A Family Thing

This post is made possible by the American Lung Association, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

What would you do if you got the flu?  What if your child got the flu?  Well, imagine your entire family is down and out with the flu – ALL AT ONCE.  These are things we worry about a lot.  We have generations under one roof – most times four generations, sometimes three.  I don’t consider us a large family but certainly when we are under one roof it can seem that way.  There is never complete privacy; never a chance to be alone; and always so much to do.

At times it is almost like a college dorm… When our grandson wakes up at 5:30am – well, we are all up.  When my mother in law needs help in the yard – we all help.  And when one of us gets sick – we are all likely to get sick.  In fact – with all the different needs in the house I would classify some of us as somewhat fragile.  Any type of illness is a huge concern, particularly the flu.

In our home we always need to take precautions and that can be a little more difficult because my husband and I both work in public education.  We are always exposed to germs that the kids bring in but it is important that we do all that we can to stay healthy.

The flu can worsen symptoms of chronic health conditions, such as lung or heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  In our home we have young children, elderly, asthma, diabetes and more.  Multiple studies have shown an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the first few days following a flu infection. That means the flu can be deadly for anyone, especially adults 50 years of age and older who more often have one or more chronic health conditions. These are all reasons we do everything we can to help protect ourselves and so should you.

Simple efforts can go a long way:

• First and foremost – we need to get vaccinated.  That is by far the best way to help protect against the flu, according to the CDC.
• Washing hands is essential – as often as possible.
• Alcohol based hand sanitizer – especially when soap and water is not available.
• As much as possible try to avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth.
• Avoid persons who are sick and try not to have close contact with others.
• Remind children (a lot) to wash their hands frequently.
• Rest, proper nutrition and vitamins

Vaccination is the best way to help protect against the flu. The flu is a potentially serious illness that can lead to complications, hospitalizations and even death. Health officials recommend everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exception get vaccinated against the flu each year. This is particularly important for adults 50 years of age and older.

You don’t even need to worry about where to get vaccinated – check out the vaccine finder at the American Lung Association’s GetMyShot.org.

SAUS.IFLU.19.08.4305  10/19