Choosing the Right Flu Vaccine: A Guide for This Year

As the weather gets colder, respiratory illnesses will soon begin to spread. Not long ago, the National Health Commission held a press conference recommending getting the flu vaccine before the start of the flu season.

Faced with a variety of vaccine types, many people wonder how to choose. Which vaccines can be administered this year? Medical staff said that influenza is not a common cold but an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the influenza virus.

Getting the influenza vaccine every year is the most effective way to prevent influenza and can greatly reduce the risk of contracting influenza and its serious complications. This year, there are three types of influenza vaccines in our country.

Types of Flu Vaccines Available This Year

• Inactivated (degraded) vaccine against trivalent/quadrivalent influenza virus
• Inactivated (subunit) vaccine against trivalent/quadrivalent influenza virus
• Trivalent Influenza Virus Vaccine, Attenuated Activated

Ma Chae-un, a doctor from the preventive health department at Dahongmun Community Health Service Center, recommends that children aged 6 months to 3 years old use only the influenza vaccine, and those aged 3 to 17 years old can receive all three types of vaccines, and those over 18 years old can receive all three types of vaccines.

For colonies with abnormalities, the use of influenza vaccine and influenza subunit vaccine is recommended. Health professionals say it is most effective to get the flu shot before flu season, and it is generally recommended that you complete your vaccination by the end of October.

If you were unable to get your flu shot before October for various reasons, follow-up vaccinations should be completed as soon as possible. Antibodies can usually reach a protective level 2 to 4 weeks after receiving a flu shot.