Influenza Vaccine.pdf

Influenza ("flu") is a contagious disease caused by influenza viruses, spread mainly by coughing, sneezing, and close contact. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, cough, headache, and runny or stuffy nose. Flu can lead to pneumonia, blood infections, and other complications, especially in high-risk groups like infants, young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and those with certain health conditions. The flu vaccine can prevent flu, make it less severe, and prevent spreading it to others. The vaccine is recommended every flu season, with some people needing two doses. Risks of vaccine reaction include soreness, redness, swelling, hoarseness, sore eyes, cough, fever, aches, headache, itching, and fatigue, with more serious problems like Guillain-Barré Syndrome and severe allergic reactions being rare. If a serious reaction occurs, individuals should look for signs like hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, and fast heartbeat, and report reactions to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).