In 2017 and 2018, influenza claimed the lives of thousands of Germans, and experts and researchers emphasize the importance of taking a vaccine against influenza, especially specific groups. But there are also some who question the viability and effectiveness of the vaccine.
Winter is the peak time of year for flu, which differs from a common cold. Symptoms of flu include high body temperature, cough, sore throat, colds, body aches and headaches, as well as a general feeling of illness and fatigue.
Estimates in Germany this year have confirmed that the unusual influenza wave, which swept through Germany in 2017 and 2018, has claimed about 25,000 lives. "This is the highest number of deaths from colds in the past 30 years," said Lothar Feller, head of the Robert Koch Institute.
Who needs the flu vaccine?
The Robert Koch Institute estimates that between 4 million and 16 million people are infected with influenza in winter in Germany. Not everyone infected with influenza viruses gets sick, according to the German Web site.
The Institute's experts recommend that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and stay away from infected people. The STIKO Standing Committee on Immunization recommends that certain groups of people take influenza vaccination in the fall:
For the above-mentioned people, health insurance companies in Germany pay the cost of the vaccine, but others must talk in advance with the insurance companies, note that most of them also pay for the vaccine.
"Everyone should be vaccinated, including children, because everyone benefits," said Professor Matthias Belts, director of the Institute of Infection Medicine and Hospital Hygiene at the University Hospital in the eastern German city of Jena.
"This reduces the risk of infecting others and thus protects family and friends," Beltz, who is also a spokesman for the German Infectious Society (DGI), said in an interview with the Web site.
The best time to take the vaccine
Depending on the country in which you live, the peak period of influenza is in Germany. For example, the flu is spread at the beginning of the year, in January and February, so it is advisable to take the vaccine a month earlier, that is, by the end of November or the beginning of December. The body's immune system needs two or three weeks to form a protective shield against the disease.
But if the vaccine is taken earlier, the level of antibodies in the body could drop when, say, February, so there is insufficient protection against influenza at its peak.
protection
The influenza vaccine has less protection than other vaccines recommended by the Robert Koch Institute Permanent Vaccination Committee.
Skeptics say that the flu vaccine does not provide 100% protection, because the flu virus has a great ability to mutate, so it is difficult for researchers to determine the type of virus most powerful in the body.
In addition, the flu vaccine is not a permanent protection, and should be taken every year, and the protection it provides varies from person to person, because each body reacts differently to the vaccine, and the elderly say that the vaccine is less effective for them.
When influenza infects a person who has received the vaccine, it is protected so that it only gets a slight infection and does not have to be transferred to intensive care, which means that the vaccine reduces the severity of the disease.