The best defence against influenza is this year's vaccine. 

The flu season is upon us – and influenza is not always a mild disease!

A study reported an estimated 1,500 influenza-associated hospitalisations in Singapore each year. Being more vulnerable, the elderly and young children have much higher rates of hospitalisation.  

To protect patients and loved ones, these colleagues got their shots at the ongoing Campus vaccination exercise, which ends 30 Jun.

You should also get the shot because ...

1. The vaccine is the best way to keep yourself and others Flu Safe.

The more people get vaccinated, the less influenza can spread among a community. CDC estimates that the risk of influenza in the overall population can be reduced by as much as 60 per cent. 

2. You could be carrying influenza virus and not know it.

According to studies, as many as 3 out of 10 people carrying the virus have no symptoms of influenza. This means you could be spreading the bug to others – like your patients, children and elderly parents - without knowing it.

3. You need an influenza vaccination every year because the virus mutates more quickly and often than Mystique.

The influenza virus mutates frequently. With two influenza seasons a year, the dominant circulating influenza viruses for one season may be significantly different from the last season and the next season. The recommendation to vaccinate in each season therefore depends on whether there is significant difference in the dominant circulating influenza viruses compared to the previous season, which means that the influenza vaccine composition will also be different. Hence, healthcare workers  can expect that the recommendation for influenza vaccination will range from 6 months to 12 months apart. 

Check out more interesting flu facts here

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