Flu (Influenza) Vaccine

What is flu (influenza)?

Flu is a common word for a disease caused by influenza viruses. Flu viruses usually infect a person's nose, throat, or lungs and cause mild to severe illness.

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Congestion in the nose
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

In severe cases, people infected with the flu may develop complications like bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, and sinus infections. It also worsens chronic medical conditions like congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes.

Luckily, safe and effective seasonal flu vaccines are distributed yearly to protect people from the worst symptoms and curb the spread of the virus. Simply put, flu vaccines make wild cases mild. Following the latest vaccination guidelines from the CDC gives you safe and effective protection against the latest flu viruses and helps stop it from spreading in Southwest Florida.

How does the flu vaccine protect Southwest Florida?

The flu vaccine protects everyone in Southwest Florida since anyone can get flu. Even healthy people can develop severe symptoms when they're infected. Getting vaccinated protects you from developing severe symptoms and can help keep you from getting sick in the first place.

Flu vaccines also play an especially vital role in protecting people at higher risk of severe flu complications. These groups include people aged 65 and older, people with chronic health conditions, people with a BMI above 40, pregnant people, and children under the age of 5.