When and Why You Should Get a Flu Shot
As the U.S. continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, another infectious respiratory disease is already looming: influenza. Flu season typically begins around November in the northern hemisphere, and the combined burden of the illness and COVID-19 could overwhelm hospitals and testing sites. The good news is that a safe and effective flu vaccine is already available to everyone aged six months and older.
「The answer to the question 『Why should you get a flu vaccine?』 is the same this year as it is every year. But there are some additional reasons why it’s extra beneficial to get it this year,」 says Emily Landon. She explains that influenza can have dire consequences ranging from loss of productivity to death. 「You should do everything you can to prevent the flu, and the shot is the best way we can do that,」 Landon says. In addition to protecting yourself, a flu shot also helps protect other family members who may be more vulnerable to respiratory disease, she notes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in the 2018–2019 season, some 35.5 million Americans came down with the flu and that about 34,000 of them died from it. Flu shots prevented another 4.4 million cases and about 3,500 deaths. In 2020 vaccinating as many people as possible against influenza could be critical to preventing a dual-epidemic scenario. But getting a flu shot is good policy in any year, experts say.
文本選自：Scientific American（科學美國人）
作者：Jim Daley
原文標題：When and Why You Should Get a Flu Shot
原文發布時間：26 Sept. 2020