Medical & Health // Health Information Patient Handout
Health Information Patient Handout
Introduction
The selected health issue is the availability of Flu vaccine that is now available in the market. The chosen health issue if flu vaccine because pneumonia has one of the highest cases of mortality and morbidity cases in our community. Aside from Pneumonia, influenza infection is the most common respiratory infection that a person experiences whenever they are exposed to a cold environment. Basically, flu vaccine is a health issue because it is a conventional health tool to protect the public from catching respiratory diseases. The purpose of this patient handout is to increase awareness about the importance of protecting your health against causative agents of the diseases such as virus or bacteria.
What is Flu Vaccine: It is also known as Influenza vaccine to protect individuals against respiratory infections such as influenza virus. The vaccine is intended to protect the respiratory system of all individuals receiving this particular medical breakthrough. It is intended to protect the body against the threats of influenza strain, which are the main causes of flu, cough, and colds.
Who will be vaccinated with Flu Vaccine: Generally, flu vaccine is applicable for individuals aged between 2 years old and above 65 years old for as long as they are not suffering from a severe disease condition. This means that there are no restrictions with regards to the age of individuals before they will avail the vaccine. The reason why below the age of two are not allowed to take the flu vaccine is because their body is not yet well-adapted to the external environment. Infants up to two years are still in the process of having their organs to mature. The liver is still unable to synthesize new chemicals into the body and might cause complications with the functions of their organs when given the vaccination.
Why do we need to have a flu vaccine? Vaccines such as flu vaccination is important to every population in our society. We need to be vaccinated to be protected from harmful health threats such as the virus and bacteria that are some of the most common and dangerous microorganisms. Fungi, spores, and parasites are also included as potentially hazardous to your health because these organisms are capable of destroying all surfaces that they invade such as the alveoli walls or the bronchial tree. The other important aspect is to strengthen the immune system of every recipient of the vaccine to counteract against harmful microorganisms. Sensitivity to an extreme environment will be decreased because the person who was already vaccinated will be able to experience resistance to either very cold or very hot environment (Lai, Lee, Koh & Lee, 2016).
Where will we acquire the flu vaccines? Flu vaccine is widely available throughout the community. Official health care centers that are governed and funded by the government in every municipality or community are the most accessible areas where you can be vaccinated with flu shots. Health care institutions such as hospitals and community clinics also offer flu shots that are always readily available in their respective clinics. Mobile clinics also provide flu vaccines to any individuals or households who need medical interventions, especially regarding respiratory ailments that could impact their airway clearance. School institutions are also the perfect areas where vaccines will be injected to students and pupils while they are attending their classes. School officials usually coordinates with the health care agencies to provide free flu vaccination to decrease the number of mortality and morbidity rates associated with respiratory infections. In additions, pharmacies and drug stores provides available vaccine at an affordable price to the consumers who wants to boost their immune system as well as increasing their resistance to respiratory infection (Cho & Wrammert, 2016).
Are there side effects of flu vaccine? Flu vaccine is discovered by scientists with no harmful ingredients to human population. The composition of the ingredients is made up with live attenuated microorganisms that serve as an active component to our body to increase our resistance to a variety of diseases. Children aged between two to 12 years-old sometimes develop chills, fever, or swelling to the punctured site where the vaccine is administered. However, this is a normal reaction of the body and may soon disappear after a few minutes or hours from the administration of the medication. However, patients with life-threatening diseases are prohibited from receiving the vaccine as it can further degrade their health and well-being. These are end-stage cancer, post-surgery patients under recovery, immunocompromised patients, and patients under radiation therapy whose immune system is no longer capable of handling foreign bodies.
Learning insight
The public should be aware about the effectiveness of receiving vaccinations such as the flu vaccine. The reason behind is that they will appreciate the importance of increasing the body’s resistance to pathogenic microorganisms such as virus, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that causes a significant complication to the body. Aside from the vaccine, the public should understand the prevalence of life-threatening infections or diseases. These are severe influenza infection that often infects the lungs of the patient. Examples of diseases that should be understood to the public are pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, lung cancer, tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma, and fungal infections that affect the lungs. Always remember that awareness increases chances of preventing disease contraction, especially when dealing with respiratory diseases. Regular check-up is advised to ensure the public that health threats will be identified, which will be immediately treated and cured before it can cause complications in the future (CDC, 2012).
References
Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC). (August 2012). “Prevention and control of influenza with vaccines: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – United States, 2012–13 influenza season” (PDF). MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 61 (32): 613–8. ISSN 0149-2195.
Cho, Alice; Wrammert, Jens (2016). “Implications of broadly neutralizing antibodies in the development of a universal influenza vaccine”. Current Opinion in Virology. 17: 110–5.
Lai, A.; Lee, K.C.K.; Koh, D. & Lee, S.S. (2016). “Increasing the coverage of influenza vaccination in healthcare workers: Review of challenges and solutions”. Journal of Hospital Infection. 94 (2): 133–42.
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