How to keep 'vaccine fatigue' from getting in the way of a flu shot

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在近三年几乎不间断地谈论病毒和疫苗接种之后, some people might be ready to tune out.

That would be a mistake, health experts say.

Amid warning signs of a potentially severe flu season ahead, 这些专家担心“疫苗疲劳症”会使人们不愿接种流感疫苗, a simple, safe way to protect themselves from life-threatening conditions, including heart attacks and strokes.

Australia, where winter is wrapping up, often serves as a crystal ball for influenza in the United States, and the signs are not good, said Dr. Martha Gulati, 洛杉矶西达斯-西奈医学院史密特心脏研究所心血管疾病预防主任.

“南半球经历了一个糟糕的流感季节，而且来得早，”古拉蒂说 2021 review of research 关于流感疫苗对心血管疾病患者的作用的研究发表在《沙巴体育平台点击进入》上. "So we should be concerned that the exact same thing is going to happen here. 这就是为什么我特别鼓励人们尽早接种流感疫苗."

September and October are indeed an ideal time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC, 美国心脏协会和其他健康组织建议6个月及以上的人每年接种一次疫苗, with rare exceptions.

But even before the pandemic, many people in the U.S. ignored such advice. In 2018-19, the last flu season unaffected by COVID-19, only about 63% of children and 45% of adults were vaccinated, according to the CDC.

The root of the problem is misinformation about vaccine safety, which also predates COVID-19, said Amelia Boehme, 他是纽约市哥伦比亚大学神经病学临床结果研究和人口科学系的流行病学助理教授. 她说，COVID-19疫苗的政治化加剧了这些毫无根据的担忧.

That has led to more discussion, which promotes more fatigue, she said. "People are tired of hearing about how it's safe. People are tired about hearing about studies on COVID outcomes."

她听说和读到的研究表明，对疫苗的疲劳也源于对大流行本身的疲惫. She understands.

"We all are tired of the pandemic," Boehme said. "We all wish it was over. But wishing it was over does not mean it is over."

The flu vaccine has always been a tough sell, she said. The idea that it is not 100% effective at stopping the flu, and that you need to take it yearly, doesn't sit well with some people, "and there have always been thoughts surrounding, 'Well, the flu is not that bad.'"

But it is serious. 2010年至2020年期间，每年有1.2万至5.2万人死于流感. The CDC says flu can lead to bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and worsening of chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and congestive heart failure. A 2018 study 研究发现，在感染流感的一周内，患心脏病的风险要高出六倍.

A flu vaccine's effectiveness at preventing infection varies from year to year, as the formula changes to keep up with mutations in the virus. But vaccination lowers the odds you'll get seriously ill. According to the CDC, 接种疫苗与ICU住院风险降低26%和流感死亡风险降低31%相关.

The CDC estimates that during the 2019-20 flu season, flu vaccinations prevented 38 million flu cases, 400,000 hospitalizations and 22,000 deaths.

Benefits from vaccination don't end with the flu itself, Boehme said. Research, including her own, has highlighted how the flu vaccine helps protect against heart attack, stroke and deaths related to heart disease.

The cumulative effects of being vaccinated year after year add up, Boehme said. "If a person has been vaccinated for influenza 10 years in a row, 与那些只接种过两年疫苗的人相比，他们在来年对流感有更多的保护."

Given the benefits, 毫不奇怪，古拉蒂强调流感疫苗的安全性和对她的病人的重要性.

“人们告诉我他们不想要它的最大原因是他们确信它会让他们生病," she said. But flu shots can't give you the flu, she tells them. 她向他们保证注射疫苗会有副作用，包括手臂酸痛, headache, fever or nausea – are usually mild and go away on their own. For people who are worried about how they'll feel afterward, she recommends taking acetaminophen ahead of time.

她会鼓励他们一直到流感季节，因为晚打一针总比不打好.

古拉蒂和其他医生还建议接种一种新的COVID-19增强剂，针对目前占主导地位的冠状病毒组粒亚变体. COVID-19已经成为美国的主要死亡原因之一，并可能导致各种问题, including heart inflammation, heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the legs or lungs.

但流感和COVID-19疫苗通过限制病毒的传播，有助于保护接种疫苗的人和他们周围的人. The CDC says it's safe to get both vaccinations at the same time. 今年，更高剂量的流感疫苗配方已被批准用于65岁及以上的人群.

Health care workers could do more to promote flu vaccinations, Gulati said. A 2021 survey 美国国家传染病基金会的一项研究发现，不到一半的卫生保健专业人员建议大多数慢性疾病患者每年注射流感疫苗.

"Everyone should be bringing this up with their patients, but particularly, those who take care of patients with chronic diseases must do better," she said.

Boehme敦促人们不要让对大流行的沮丧影响他们对各种疫苗接种重要性的思考. "Discussions around vaccines are necessary for public health," she said. "And especially as we're seeing polio reemerge, and monkeypox, we'll be seeing discussions about other vaccines."

Gulati is grateful to be able to have such discussions, though. "I think if somebody approached me and said, 'Oh, I'm sick of talking about vaccines,' I would say, “我们是多么幸运，生活在一个有这么多现代医学和技术帮助保护我们的时代。?'"

But she added, "Of course I'm biased. 因为我见过病情最严重的人，当他们不接种疫苗时，以及后果是什么."

编者注:由于围绕冠状病毒的沙巴体育平台点击进入迅速演变, the facts and advice presented in this story may have changed since publication. Visit Heart.org for the latest coverage, 并向疾病控制和预防中心以及当地卫生官员咨询最新的指导意见.

如果你对这篇美国心脏协会沙巴足球体育平台有任何问题或评论，请发电子邮件 [email protected].