{"id":6947,"date":"2015-09-14T20:45:25","date_gmt":"2015-09-14T20:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/"},"modified":"2015-09-14T20:45:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T20:45:25","slug":"flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Flu Shots:  To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I take pride in my good health. \u00a0I come from hardy German and Australian stock and my family is not prone to sickness. \u00a0\u00a0A healthy diet and regular exercise is important to my routine. \u00a0Sleep, which I have <a href=\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/getting-serious-about-sleep\/\">written about recently<\/a>, is of utmost importance so I strive for the 8.5 hours that the research says is necessary for healthful living and top performance. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So imagine my surprise and dismay when one morning recently soreness settled into my muscles and fatigue plagued me. \u00a0Of course, these symptoms were to be quickly followed up by an elevated temperature, runny nose, cough, and scratchy throat. \u00a0Within a day or so, I went from big weekend plans on the river to a case of the flu! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Curiosity about my particular condition, since remember I am \u201cnever sick\u201d, drove me to the internet and various sources such as the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). \u00a0An abundance of information was soon at my fingertips which included answers to several questions that I had and you may also be pondering. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s review some of these general questions that may come to mind when making the decision on whether to obtain the flu vaccination. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>How do I know that the flu vaccine will prevent the flu virus that I may come in contact with this year? <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are certainly thousands of flu types that differ slightly in their makeup so the WHO determines which 3-4 virus strains that this year\u2019s vaccine should target. \u00a0Now, you could actually come in contact with a virus that is not prevented by this year\u2019s flu shot but obtaining the vaccine should help reduce the severity of your flu that is not covered by this particular vaccine. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Can I catch the flu from this flu vaccination? \u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, the flu vaccine does contain some of the genetic materials of various viruses so that they can circulate in your blood but the viruses are dead! \u00a0These antigens stimulate the body\u2019s immune system to build up resistance to many flu variants but the flu vaccine cannot cause an active flu. Even the nasal spray, which is a weaker version of protection, cannot give you the flu.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Should I worry about what else could be lurking in this year\u2019s flu shot?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, the genetic materials of various viruses are combined with a mixture of mainly sugar, water, and egg protein. \u00a0\u00a0There is a trace amount of preservative to support the vaccine which dissolves in the body in a matter of weeks. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>If I go ahead and get the vaccine, does it become effectively immediately against influenza?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, it takes about two weeks from the time of the vaccination for it to become effective. Utilize good hand washing techniques and don\u2019t eat or drink after people who are sick. \u00a0Get the right amount of rest, diet, and exercise to maintain your health. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Should I ask my doctor before getting the flu vaccine?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some people should definitely check in with their physician prior to getting the vaccine. \u00a0If you have had a reaction before, if you are very ill, or if you have some other compromising disease, please check with your physician before moving ahead. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cTo vaccinate or not to vaccinate?\u201d \u00a0So, if that is the question, you can bet I will sign on for the yearly flu shot! \u00a0How about taking care of you and getting the vaccine too? <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I take pride in my good health. \u00a0I come from hardy German and Australian stock and my family is not <a href=\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/\" class=\"h5 more-link\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":3620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[944],"tags":[1139],"class_list":["post-6947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senior-health-wellness","tag-flu-vaccine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question! - Preferred Care at Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I take pride in my good health. \u00a0I come from hardy German and Australian stock and my family is not Learn More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Preferred Care at Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vaccinate_Flu_PCAH.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1836\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/\",\"name\":\"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question! - Preferred Care at Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/cdfef04c066f94ca4d89dc3ebfb3d27c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/\",\"name\":\"Preferred Care at Home\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/cdfef04c066f94ca4d89dc3ebfb3d27c\",\"name\":\"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c3de0d99fffd33e3941d0f6dec47787f299436a33d297de574bb916ec606cd17?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c3de0d99fffd33e3941d0f6dec47787f299436a33d297de574bb916ec606cd17?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN\"},\"description\":\"Laurie has been a registered nurse for over 30 years with 20 of those years being spent in the home care industry. Her specialty is working with home care providers to improve the care delivery services of the elderly while in their homes. She has lectured on home care issues for the National Association of Home Care and Hospice and at regional and state conferences as well. Laurie co-authored a manual on Best Practices for the Home Care Patient. Laurie, who lives in Tennessee, also has personal experience in helping to obtain care services for her elderly mother and father in Virginia so she understands first-hand the importance of caring, supportive, and knowledgeable caregivers.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/author\/laurie-salmons\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question! - Preferred Care at Home","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question!","og_description":"I take pride in my good health. \u00a0I come from hardy German and Australian stock and my family is not Learn More","og_url":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/","og_site_name":"Preferred Care at Home","article_published_time":"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1836,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vaccinate_Flu_PCAH.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/","url":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/","name":"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question! - Preferred Care at Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00","dateModified":"2015-09-14T20:45:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/cdfef04c066f94ca4d89dc3ebfb3d27c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/flu-shots-to-vaccinate-or-not\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flu Shots: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#website","url":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/","name":"Preferred Care at Home","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/cdfef04c066f94ca4d89dc3ebfb3d27c","name":"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c3de0d99fffd33e3941d0f6dec47787f299436a33d297de574bb916ec606cd17?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c3de0d99fffd33e3941d0f6dec47787f299436a33d297de574bb916ec606cd17?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN"},"description":"Laurie has been a registered nurse for over 30 years with 20 of those years being spent in the home care industry. Her specialty is working with home care providers to improve the care delivery services of the elderly while in their homes. She has lectured on home care issues for the National Association of Home Care and Hospice and at regional and state conferences as well. Laurie co-authored a manual on Best Practices for the Home Care Patient. Laurie, who lives in Tennessee, also has personal experience in helping to obtain care services for her elderly mother and father in Virginia so she understands first-hand the importance of caring, supportive, and knowledgeable caregivers.","url":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/author\/laurie-salmons\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}