Flu season vaccines are delivered

Flu season: Vaccines are delivered

09/20/2014

In several states, preparations for the flu season started at the end of the summer. Vaccines were delivered to pharmacies. Experts advise people from risk groups to the flu vaccine, but the decision should be well considered.

Vaccine is available at public health offices

In federal states such as Brandenburg and Berlin, preparations for the flu season started at the end of the summer. „The pharmaceutical companies have already delivered vaccines. They are on their way to the pharmacies“, explained a spokesman for the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Brandenburg (KV) on Friday to the news agency dpa. According to the Brandenburg Ministry of Health in Potsdam, the health authorities already have a vaccine ready.

Flu recommendation for risk groups

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends vaccination against influenza primarily people over the age of 60, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma or cardiovascular diseases. People from these at-risk groups can develop serious illnesses. The health insurance companies therefore usually assume the costs of vaccination in these cases. The health insurance AOK Northeast also shared with: „A vaccine is also recommended for those who have a lot of professional contact with other people.“ However, in the flu vaccine pros and cons weigh against each other. Thus, a vaccination can bring about side effects, such as the reddening, hurts and swelling of the puncture site. Even symptoms such as tiredness, body aches or shivering may occur.

Last flu season was relatively harmless

Those who want to protect themselves with a vaccine against the typical flu symptoms such as neck and headache, body aches, cough, runny nose, hoarseness or fever, should do so according to expert recommendations already in October or November. It takes about ten to 14 days for the vaccine protection to be established. This will last for six to ten months. Mostly the flu season starts after the turn of the year. The flu season 2013/2014 was relatively harmless: according to the Ministry of Health, 200 people fell ill in Brandenburg last winter, compared to over 3,500 in the previous season. It also depends on the type of influenza virus, how a flu outbreak develops. Just under 624,000 people were vaccinated against influenza in Brandenburg in 2013, five percent more than the year before. (Ad)