Fight the flu with the jab
COINCIDING with the launch of the regional flu jab campaign on Monday, Torrevieja health authority has started an information campaign to encourage residents to have the vaccination.
Costa Blanca News reported last week that this year’s campaign is two weeks later than in 2018 due to the higher temperatures which have been recorded this autumn.
Torrevieja is appealing to residents in Spanish and English under the slogan ‘fight the flu! get the jab!’.
They note that the most effective way to prevent the disease or severe outcomes from the illness is vaccination.
“The virus is transmitted easily from person to person via droplets and small particles produced when infected people cough or sneeze,” noted a spokeswoman.
This viral infection that affects mainly the nose, throat, bronchi and occasionally lungs, tends to spread rapidly in seasonal epidemics.
“Most infected people recover within one to two weeks without requiring medical treatment,” she stated.
“However, in the very young, the elderly, and those with other serious medical conditions, infection can lead to severe complications of the underlying condition, pneumonia and death.”
The most effective way to prevent the disease or severe outcomes from the illness is vaccination.
“Among the elderly, the vaccine reduces severe illnesses and complications by up to 60% and deaths by 80%,” she added.
Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications, and for people who live with or care for high-risk individuals.
These include people aged 60 and over, and all those aged six months or older who have chronic medical conditions.