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The winter season is at its peak and the level of viral morbidity in Israel is on a clear upward trend.
Doctors throughout the country report that in the last month they have witnessed an increase in the number of patients coming to clinics with various symptoms, including runny nose, sore throat, cough, headaches, fever, and more, and many cases of morbidity that the doctors encounter are RSV, corona and flu.
As of January, the number of children hospitalized due to the flu jumped from 10 to 50.
Despite the significant upward trend in the number of patients, we see that the percentage of flu vaccinations among the entire population is low and reaches only about 15%.
Not only the flu is a disease that can be dangerous but also the possible complications from it, among them pneumonia.
Such a case happened recently at the "Hillel Yaffe" hospital in Hadera, where a 6-year-old girl arrived sick with pneumonia caused as a result of a complication from the flu.
In the past, many people were sure that the flu was a simple disease characterized by mild morbidity, but it is important to remember that children up to the age of 12 are in a risk group for the disease.
There will always be a certain percentage of people who will suffer complications from getting the flu, but among children the complications can be more severe.
How important is it that children get vaccinated at school?
It is very important!
The flu is a serious disease that causes tens to hundreds of thousands of cases of illness each year.
Including severe and complex morbidity and up to 100 cases of death (in the State of Israel).
Among others, the risk populations are infants and children up to the age of 12 - hence the apparent importance of the flu vaccine for school students.
In fact, the recommendation is to get vaccinated from the age of six months.
We have been seeing the efficiency and effectiveness of the vaccine for years, especially among risk groups.
It is important to remember that when vaccinating the children, it is important that the rest of the family is also vaccinated, in order to be able to maintain full protection against disease.
Is it worthwhile and recommended for everyone to get vaccinated?
The answer is an unequivocal yes.
If there has been an effective vaccine that has been scientifically proven for years, there is no reason not to use it.
The vaccine significantly reduces morbidity and even complications that may lead to hospitalization.
In addition, to provide full protection, make sure that the whole family is vaccinated.
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What about the parents who refuse to vaccinate?
Some parents choose not to vaccinate their children, mainly because they are unaware of the potential harm of the flu.
Not every virus is the flu, so people also mistakenly believe that a mild virus is the flu, and therefore that it is not a disease to be afraid of.
The flu is a serious illness with serious side effects, and it is impossible to predict in advance how it will affect you.
Even for the small risk that one of the family members will fall under the statistics and suffer a complication due to the disease, it is not worth the risk.
The current vaccine provides 40% protection, relatively respectable protection for a vaccine that has almost no side effects, so there is no reason not to get vaccinated.
What are the different vaccine options?
Today there are a variety of vaccination options, of course there is the injection.
But there is also a vaccine using a nasal spray.
The vaccine using a nasal spray is intended for ages 2 to 49 and is given both at health funds and at schools.
Both vaccines are similar in effectiveness.
What are the benefits of the flu vaccine?
The flu vaccine provides protection against the disease, but it is also a preventive factor against various types of viruses and other bacteria such as streptococcus.
In addition, vaccination is of great social importance, and because the health system is under enormous strain during the fighting, each and every one of us has the opportunity to take the strain off of it and not fill the hospital corridors with people suffering from flu complications.
What about side effects?
There are almost no side effects to the vaccine, the few side effects that exist are usually local.
Very rarely, the vaccine may trigger an immune system response, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Will the vaccine for this season also be effective for the next flu season?
Each season there are different strains of flu viruses and the vaccines are adapted to the seasonal viruses.
Sometimes some stay the same.
The vaccine is effective between four and six months.
Dr. Roni Farber is the director of the public health department at Mochahad.
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