Fall is here with the dreaded flu viruses in its luggage. If you haven't been vaccinated yet, now is the time to do so.
Those who have ever had the flu know how powerful and debilitating these viruses can be. In recent years, vaccination campaigns have been used to protect against it as much as possible. But when should you get vaccinated, exactly? A growing body of research suggests that the effectiveness of these vaccines declines over time. So doing it today might be your best bet.
In a 2017 study, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at data from four recent flu seasons in the United States. The idea was to find out if and when the effectiveness of the vaccine would start to fade.
Then they discovered that the injection was most effective about two weeks after vaccination (the time it takes for the immune system to react to the vaccine). Influenza A (H3N2) virus and influenza B virus then lost 7% of their effectiveness per month after vaccination. For influenza A (H1N1), its effectiveness dropped by 6 to 11% per month.
Another study published last year looked at seven flu seasons. The conclusion was relatively the same. Each additional day after 28 days was associated with an approximately 16% increase in the odds of testing positive for the flu virus.
“While the root causes of waning immunity during the offseason are debated, it is increasingly difficult to deny the obvious of its existence “, wrote two researchers last year in an editorial in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases .
If you want to guard against the seasonal "spike" of the flu virus this year, the best way to do that is to get vaccinated in early November. On the other hand, for people who have already received the injection, note that there is no advantage to being vaccinated twice per season.
These vaccines have already proven their effectiveness. It's not just about protecting yourself, it's also about protecting others. Vaccination acts as a kind of firewall, slowing down or preventing the transmission of the disease within a population. This is called community immunity (or herd immunity). This "protective" effect is particularly important for vulnerable people such as children, pregnant women, the elderly or immunocompromised. Remember that each year in France, influenza viruses affect 2 to 6 million people. In addition, there are about 10,000 deaths on average.
To get vaccinated, there are several options. You can take your vaccine to your GP who will give you the injection. Nurses, nurses and midwives are also authorized to perform vaccination. Note that since this year, it is also possible to do it directly in pharmacies. Finally, there are also vaccination centers provided for this purpose.
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