Vaccination is the best line of defense.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Or so the saying goes, at least. If there ever was a more effective way of thwarting a potentially disastrous flu season, it’s through vaccinations. The flu vaccine, in particular, has been around for nearly a century. It first appeared for widespread use in 1945. That was a few years after Thomas Francis and Jonas Salk at the University of Michigan developed it. It was initially tested for safety and efficacy within the military. But then the general public received it. The vaccine has evolved since then to keep up with the similarly growing strains of influenza. That explains why people are encouraged to get a flu shot every year instead of just one shot intended for lifetime protection.
Throughout history, as flu pandemics rose to peaks of destruction before waning into oblivion, scientists observed that apart from the two main strains of influenza, A and B, other sub-variants seemed to branch off and circulate. In turn, evading the protection of current vaccines and prompts health organizations worldwide to monitor these viruses year-round. They work with scientists to stay ahead of these strains with increasingly more sophisticated vaccines. This year, because of the added burden of a fast-evolving and highly transmissible Sars-Cov2 virus, Federal health officials are encouraging everyone to get their flu shot early before flu season comes in full swing. Otherwise, the public would constantly deal with a barrage of viruses. Health officials hope vaccinations will hold the line and help nip a wave of infections in the bud.
