Now vaccinate: How to protect yourself from the 2024 flu wave!

Now vaccinate: How to protect yourself from the 2024 flu wave!

A flu wave is bought in Austria, warns of the Ministry of Health. The vaccination rate for the current season is alarming: over 800,000 people have so far been given influencing, which is considered far too low. Dr. Ursula Hollenstein, an experienced internist, emphasizes that it is particularly important to vaccinate children because they contribute to community protection. So far, however, there has been no knowledge of the dangers of influenza, which is often confused with simple colds, as today.at emphasizes.

Vaccination against influenza is free of charge in Austria and available for everyone from the 6th month of life. Vaccinations can be carried out at general practitioners, specialists or in special vaccination centers. Although there is currently a low influenza activity, Hollenstein advises rapid vaccination because vaccination protection needs about 10 to 14 days to be fully developed. If you can be vaccinated now, you can well arm yourself for the upcoming flu season. Additional precautions such as wearing FFP2 masks in crowds are also recommended to protect yourself from infection, reports the Robert Koch Institute on its website.

additional risk groups

There are particularly endangered people with a weakened immune system who have a higher risk of serious disease courses. The STIKO therefore recommends the influenza vaccination annually. It is important for these groups to know that the living vaccine in the form of a nasal spray is not suitable for them because it can cause an inadequate immune response. As an alternative, secure dead vaccines are available, which are strongly recommended to the data subjects and their contact persons to guarantee comprehensive vaccination protection. Information about recommended vaccination strategies for people with immune deficiency can be viewed on the pages of the Robert Koch Institute.