In times of Covid-19 there is more debate than usual about the flu vaccination.
Many medical professionals see a lot of benefit in pricking - not just for themselves.
The flu has nothing to do with a normal, usually harmless, cold.
Influenza * can be severe and, in the worst case, be fatal.
After all, there is a vaccination against the disease - in times of the coronavirus this is in focus like never before.
So should I get vaccinated or not
?
Many people face this decision.
An overview of important questions and answers:
Who is the flu shot recommended for?
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the groups with an increased risk of severe influenza are similar to the risk groups of the coronavirus-induced disease Covid-19 - i.e.
older people over 60 and patients with previous illnesses such as diabetes, HIV or asthma
.
The flu vaccination is also recommended for
medical staff in hospitals, nursing homes and facilities for the elderly and in the health sector, for pregnant women, generally for residents of retirement or nursing homes and for caregivers
of high-risk patients.
And does Corona change anything in these basic recommendations?
Yes and no.
Many doctors argue that this year everyone should get vaccinated if possible - among other things, to keep the number of hospital stays for flu as low as possible.
The Regensburg infectious disease
specialist
Bernd Salzberger also says: "
Anyone who can, should do it
." If you can save yourself a severe cold in winter, that makes sense, according to the President of the German Society for Infectious Diseases.
According to the assessment of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) of the RKI, the greatest effect can be achieved to protect people and relieve the health system
if vaccination rates can be significantly increased, especially for the risk groups.
For senior citizens, for example, the rates have been low for years
.
Should children be vaccinated against flu in the corona pandemic?
Various experts say: Yes.
If young people were also vaccinated against the flu, this could help to relieve the burden on the health system, said Munich virologist Ulrike Protzer in August.
"
We know that children largely transmit the influenza virus,
" said the chairman of the German Society for Pediatric Infectiology, Johannes Huebner, a few weeks ago.
From Salzberger's point of view, there is also a lot to be said for it.
In school age, children did not suffer so much from the flu - but the flu viruses were often rampant in schools or daycare centers and with a vaccination the
children would indirectly protect their grandparents, for example
.
Is there a threat of a vaccine shortage?
There are voices who warn against an undersupply of the risk groups with flu vaccine if the vaccination is recommended to the whole population.
Health experts in the Bundestag recently did not expect a bottleneck.
Even the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which checks the vaccine batches, does not expect a deficiency at the start of the new flu season.
When should you get vaccinated?
The general recommendation is to get
vaccinated
from the
end of October to the beginning of November
.
The reason for this is that the optimal protective effect begins around two weeks after the bite and slowly decreases after three months.
The flu waves usually start at the beginning of the year - i.e. increased activity of influenza viruses.
After that, they can take three to four months.
In this respect, a vaccination could still make sense after November if there was no opportunity by then.
Also read
: Influenza: What is behind flu symptoms - without a fever?
What protection does vaccination bring?
That varies, but it certainly never protects.
Salzberger explains it as follows: "If you have guessed which virus will be on the way in the next season, the protection is 80 percent." If you are completely wrong with the vaccine composition, however, it protects a lot worse - that is partly occurred in the past few years.
Will there be fewer flu cases because of the corona rules?
Keeping your distance, washing your hands, wearing a mask: What should protect against the spread of the coronavirus should actually contain the spread of flu viruses.
That could well be, says Salzberger and at the same time emphasizes:
One cannot hope for that
.
“Unfortunately, the final
bill is billed
.”
(Dpa / tmn)
*
Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network
.
More sources: GB-A: Vaccination guideline for health insurance companies
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