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The winter months in the Western Cape are usually associated with colds and flu.
Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting flu and can also reduce visits to health care facilities which result in missing work and school days.
Although the optimal time for vaccination for the South African influenza (flu) season is around March and April each year, it is not too late to go for your flu vaccination.
The provincial department of health offers free flu vaccinations to patients at its primary healthcare facilities.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases describes flu as an acute viral respiratory infection transmitted by the influenza virus.
The flu virus is spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu, cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are close by. One can also catch flu by touching a surface or an object that has the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose.
The signs and symptoms of influenza are:
. Sudden onset of fever;
. Acute upper respiratory symptoms: dry cough, sore throat;
. General symptoms: malaise, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and body aches, cold shivers and hot sweats;
. Some people, especially children, may have vomiting and diarrhoea.
The flu vaccine is developed each year according to the prediction of strains that will be in circulation for that season and should, therefore, be administered every year as the strains evolve continuously.
The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days and the flu season typically starts around May.
The vaccine offers protection to all patients who received it but is less effective on patients older than 65 or patients whose immune system is under pressure.
However, these high-risk groups of people do get enough protection from the vaccine to ensure that they are less affected by the flu virus.
The vaccine will not protect against the many other viruses that circulate during the winter season and cause respiratory infections.
The vaccine, as with all vaccines, has been tested and declared safe for use, even for people in high-risk groups, including pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals.
The vaccine cannot result in infection as there is no live virus contained within the vaccine.
Some people experience a mild fever and local pain at the injection site. Overall the vaccine has an excellent safety record.
How do you prevent the spread of flu?
Infected people should:
. Stay at home and try to limit contact with other people;
. Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and throw used tissues in a bin;
. Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose;
. Surfaces that are commonly touched should be cleaned and disinfected.
Flu vaccines are offered at local clinics, hospitals and private providers.
Flu vaccines at local primary healthcare facilities (clinics and outpatient departments) are free of charge.
The winter months in the Western Cape are usually associated with colds and flu.
Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting flu and can also reduce visits to health care facilities which result in missing work and school days.
Although the optimal time for vaccination for the South African influenza (flu) season is around March and April each year, it is not too late to go for your flu vaccination.
The provincial department of health offers free flu vaccinations to patients at its primary healthcare facilities.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases describes flu as an acute viral respiratory infection transmitted by the influenza virus.
The flu virus is spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu, cough, sneeze or talk.
. Sudden onset of fever;
. Acute upper respiratory symptoms: dry cough, sore throat;
. General symptoms: malaise, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and body aches, cold shivers and hot sweats;
. Some people, especially children, may have vomiting and diarrhoea.
The flu vaccine is developed each year according to the prediction of strains that will be in circulation for that season and should, therefore, be administered every year as the strains evolve continuously.
The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days and the flu season typically starts around May.The vaccine offers protection to all patients who received it but is less effective on patients older than 65 or patients whose immune system is under pressure.
However, these high-risk groups of people do get enough protection from the vaccine to ensure that they are less affected by the flu virus.
The vaccine will not protect against the many other viruses that circulate during the winter season and cause respiratory infections. The vaccine, as with all vaccines, has been tested and declared safe for use, even for people in high-risk groups, including pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals.
The vaccine cannot result in infection as there is no live virus contained within the vaccine. Some people experience a mild fever and local pain at the injection site. Overall the vaccine has an excellent safety record.
Infected people should:
. Stay at home and try to limit contact with other people;
. Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and throw used tissues in a bin;
. Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose;
. Surfaces that are commonly touched should be cleaned and disinfected.
The winter months in the Western Cape are usually associated with colds and flu.
Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting flu and can also reduce visits to health care facilities which result in missing work and school days.
Although the optimal time for vaccination for the South African influenza (flu) season is around March and April each year, it is not too late to go for your flu vaccination.
The provincial department of health offers free flu vaccinations to patients at its primary healthcare facilities.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases describes flu as an acute viral respiratory infection transmitted by the influenza virus.
The flu virus is spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu, cough, sneeze or talk.
. Sudden onset of fever;
. Acute upper respiratory symptoms: dry cough, sore throat;
. General symptoms: malaise, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and body aches, cold shivers and hot sweats;
. Some people, especially children, may have vomiting and diarrhoea.
The flu vaccine is developed each year according to the prediction of strains that will be in circulation for that season and should, therefore, be administered every year as the strains evolve continuously.
The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days and the flu season typically starts around May.The vaccine offers protection to all patients who received it but is less effective on patients older than 65 or patients whose immune system is under pressure.
However, these high-risk groups of people do get enough protection from the vaccine to ensure that they are less affected by the flu virus.
The vaccine will not protect against the many other viruses that circulate during the winter season and cause respiratory infections. The vaccine, as with all vaccines, has been tested and declared safe for use, even for people in high-risk groups, including pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals.
The vaccine cannot result in infection as there is no live virus contained within the vaccine. Some people experience a mild fever and local pain at the injection site. Overall the vaccine has an excellent safety record.
Infected people should:
. Stay at home and try to limit contact with other people;
. Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and throw used tissues in a bin;
. Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose;
. Surfaces that are commonly touched should be cleaned and disinfected.
The winter months in the Western Cape are usually associated with colds and flu.
Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting flu and can also reduce visits to health care facilities which result in missing work and school days.
Although the optimal time for vaccination for the South African influenza (flu) season is around March and April each year, it is not too late to go for your flu vaccination.
The provincial department of health offers free flu vaccinations to patients at its primary healthcare facilities.
The flu virus is spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu, cough, sneeze or talk.
. Sudden onset of fever;
. Acute upper respiratory symptoms: dry cough, sore throat;
. General symptoms: malaise, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and body aches, cold shivers and hot sweats;
. Some people, especially children, may have vomiting and diarrhoea.
The flu vaccine is developed each year according to the prediction of strains that will be in circulation for that season and should, therefore, be administered every year as the strains evolve continuously.
The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days and the flu season typically starts around May.The vaccine offers protection to all patients who received it but is less effective on patients older than 65 or patients whose immune system is under pressure.
However, these high-risk groups of people do get enough protection from the vaccine to ensure that they are less affected by the flu virus.
The vaccine will not protect against the many other viruses that circulate during the winter season and cause respiratory infections. The vaccine, as with all vaccines, has been tested and declared safe for use, even for people in high-risk groups, including pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals.
The vaccine cannot result in infection as there is no live virus contained within the vaccine. Some people experience a mild fever and local pain at the injection site. Overall the vaccine has an excellent safety record.
Infected people should:
. Stay at home and try to limit contact with other people;
. Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and throw used tissues in a bin;
. Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose;
. Surfaces that are commonly touched should be cleaned and disinfected.
The winter months in the Western Cape are usually associated with colds and flu.
Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting flu and can also reduce visits to health care facilities which result in missing work and school days.
Although the optimal time for vaccination for the South African influenza (flu) season is around March and April each year, it is not too late to go for your flu vaccination.
The provincial department of health offers free flu vaccinations to patients at its primary healthcare facilities.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) describes flu as an acute viral respiratory infection transmitted by the influenza virus.
According to NICD annual estimates of between 7000 and 12000 seasonal influenza-associated deaths have been reported for South Africa.
The flu virus is spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu, cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are close by. One can also catch flu by touching a surface or an object that has the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose.
. Sudden onset of fever;
. Acute upper respiratory symptoms: dry cough, sore throat;
. General symptoms: malaise, headache, fatigue, muscle pain and body aches, cold shivers and hot sweats;
. Some people, especially children, may have vomiting and diarrhoea.
The flu vaccine is developed each year according to the prediction of strains that will be in circulation for that season and should, therefore, be administered every year as the strains evolve continuously.
The vaccine is effective after 10 to 14 days and the flu season typically starts around May.
The vaccine offers protection to all patients who received it but is less effective on patients older than 65 or patients whose immune system is under pressure. However, these high-risk groups of people do get enough protection from the vaccine to ensure that they are less affected by the flu virus.
The vaccine will not protect against the many other viruses that circulate during the winter season and cause respiratory infections.
The vaccine, as with all vaccines, has been tested and declared safe for use, even for people in high-risk groups, including pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals.
The vaccine cannot result in infection as there is no live virus contained within the vaccine. Some people experience a mild fever and local pain at the injection site. Overall the vaccine has an excellent safety record.
Infected people should:
. Stay at home and try to limit contact with other people;
. Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and throw used tissues in a bin;
. Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose;
. Surfaces that are commonly touched should be cleaned and disinfected.
Flu vaccines are offered at local clinics, hospitals and private providers.
Influenza vaccines at local primary healthcare facilities (clinics and outpatient departments) are free of charge.
