On September 14, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Education Commission, and Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau jointly released the 2021 Beijing influenza vaccination work plan, announcing that people below will be able to receive influenza vaccine for free :
Beijing citizens who are willing to receive vaccination will be able to make appointments in the vaccination clinic through various appointment methods such as the Internet, telephone, on-site appointments, etc. The free vaccination work is scheduled to end at the end of December.
As autumn becomes stronger and stronger, flu is also ready to move. From the initiative of Beijing to vaccinate citizens with free influenza vaccine, we may be able to detect a signal: influenza may not be as easy to deal with as we imagined!
Compared with common cold , the strong symptoms of high fever, headache, vomiting, fatigue caused by influenza often make patients feel tormented, and what really makes people feel scared is the various complications it can cause, which can cause death in serious cases!
At the same time, the flu is very contagious, especially the following groups, which are very easy to get hit.
new crown Since the outbreak of the epidemic, people have developed the habits of wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distance, while effectively preventing and controlling the new coronavirus, and have also significantly reduced the incidence of influenza.
According to the "Overview of National Statutory Infectious Disease Epidemics" released by the Health Commission , the number of influenza cases in my country last year was only one-third (32.37%) that in 2019.
influenza-like cases reported by sentinel hospitals in southern provinces from 2018 to 2022 (Picture source: China National Influenza Center "Influenza Monitoring Weekly")
influenza-like cases reported by sentinel hospitals in northern provinces from 2018 to 2022 (Picture source: China National Influenza Center "Influenza Monitoring Weekly")
However, it is worth noting that the situation will be slightly different this year. Director Li Dongzeng, the Comprehensive Department of Infection, Beijing You'an Hospital, predicted that 's influenza incidence rate this year is still lower than in previous years, but it should be slightly higher than last year's . There are two main reasons for this change in
:
On the one hand, it is due to the adjustment of the prevention and control measures of the new crown epidemic . Compared with last year when people hardly go out and do not participate in social activities, people's lives have become normal this year, and protective measures have been reduced accordingly, which may promote the increase in the incidence of influenza.
On the other hand, it is due to the reduction of the pre-stored immunity of the population to influenza . The incidence of influenza is volatile. If the incidence of influenza is low for several consecutive years, the population's immunity and vigilance towards the influenza virus may decline, which may lead to an influenza outbreak. During this period, people gain immunity after being infected, and the incidence of influenza will decrease in the next few years.
At present, this prediction has begun to show signs. According to the weekly report of China National Influenza Center, in the 14th to 33rd weeks of 2021, 251 outbreaks of influenza-like cases were reported nationwide, higher than the same period last year (21 cases) and lower than the same period last year (875 cases).
has now slowly entered the season of active influenza viruses, and the unfinished COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation even more complicated.
Compared with the past, it is much more troublesome to visit the doctor for fever and cough. Because the clinical manifestations of new coronavirus and influenza are similar: fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, etc., it is difficult to distinguish from the symptoms, and it is necessary to use the new coronavirus nucleic acid test and influenza antigen test to assist in diagnosis.
not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the most terrifying thing is elderly patients or patients with underlying diseases. In this case, the new coronavirus flu is more likely to be infected with the new coronavirus, with a high severity rate and difficult treatment.
Studies have shown that the mortality rate of patients with influenza in the new coronavirus is 2.27 times that of COVID-19 infection alone!
Therefore, while we are preventing and controlling the new coronavirus, we must also be vigilant against influenza, not only to avoid the troubles of visiting the doctor, but also to avoid the more likely risk of severe illness today.
In addition, the influenza vaccine received by every year is the most effective means to prevent influenza.
Since it usually takes two to four weeks to produce effective immunity after receiving the influenza vaccine, in order to ensure immune protection before the high-influenza season, September to October is the best golden period for influenza vaccination.
Of course, it doesn’t matter if you miss the best vaccination time for special reasons. As long as the flu epidemic season has not yet ended, you may still be infected with the influenza virus, so you can still get influenza vaccine to reduce the risk of infection.
The reason why you need to get influenza vaccination every year is because the strains of influenza viruses that are popular every year are different, and the immunity obtained by the human body after getting influenza vaccine will also decay with time. Therefore, in order to prevent influenza, we have to receive influenza vaccines against the influenza virus strain of that year every year.
