Since the beginning of spring, parents who are careful may find that recently there are especially many children in kindergartens and schools with “flu”, fever, runny nose, cough, accompanied by fatigue, headache, aching limbs and other symptoms. This is because since January, Shenzhen has entered the active period of influenza, with a surge of influenza patients, some of whom are even combined with serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, which are life-threatening. According to statistics, about 5%-15% of the world’s population suffers from influenza every year, and the incidence rate can reach 14%-50% during the epidemic season. This is because influenza viruses are prone to mutation, and humans are generally not immune to influenza viruses, and influenza epidemics spread very quickly, resulting in high rates of illness. Influenza viruses that bully softly and fearfully The annual seasonal influenza can pose a serious threat to people of all ages, with infants and children under 2 years of age, elderly people over 65 years of age, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses being the most affected by influenza. Adults are highly resistant and have a much lower chance of getting the flu than the elderly and children. Even if they catch the flu, they can rely on their own resistance to overcome the flu virus and recover in a week or so. But the elderly and children are different, and they are often the biggest victims of influenza. When the elderly and children are infected with influenza, the disease lasts for a long time, which easily leads to increased chances of infection by other pathogenic bacteria and causes serious complications, such as pneumonia, myocarditis and meningitis. Therefore, pregnant women, children, the elderly and other high-risk groups should be vaccinated in a timely manner. What can be an effective way to prevent influenza? Influenza vaccination is currently the most effective means of preventing influenza, which can prevent human infection and transmission of influenza virus. Developed countries attach more importance to influenza prevention, and the vaccination rate reaches 50% to 80%, while the vaccination rate of influenza vaccination in China is only 2% to 3%. Vaccination can reduce the chance of influenza in children by 84.8%, and reduce the incidence of pneumonia in the elderly by 60.0% and the risk of death by 68.0%. Therefore, it is necessary to develop individual influenza vaccination programs for different populations. Do I need to get the flu vaccine every year? The influenza vaccine usually produces protective antibodies in the body 2-4 weeks after vaccination, and this protection lasts for about 1 year. However, since antibody levels decline over time and the composition of the vaccine changes each year depending on the prevalent strain of the year, it is necessary to get the current year’s influenza vaccine each year. The best time to receive the influenza vaccine is 1 to 2 months before the peak of the influenza epidemic, so that the protective effect of the vaccine can be better utilized. In China, influenza epidemics are mainly concentrated from November to March each year, so vaccination is scheduled from September to November. In areas south of the Yangtze River, the vaccination is usually scheduled from October to December because of the late cold weather. What are the conditions that prevent me from getting the flu vaccination? If you have any of the following symptoms or diseases, you must not get the flu vaccine: 1) those who are allergic to eggs or other components of the vaccine (such as neomycin, etc.); 2) patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome; 3) patients with acute febrile illnesses; 4) patients with chronic disease episodes; 5) people with severe allergies; 6) people who are not considered suitable for vaccination by their doctors. After vaccination, please observe at least 30 minutes at the vaccination site; keep the vaccination site dry and clean for 24 hours; after vaccination, if the vaccination site becomes red, has pain, soreness, low fever, etc., it is normal and will disappear naturally after 24 hours; if there is persistent fever or other serious adverse reactions, please seek medical attention and report to the vaccination unit.