The flu is still going strong this winter, in Saint Petersburg and beyond. Throughout the country, people are falling ill as it sweeps through. It is estimated that approximately 9.4 percent of all deaths in the final week of January were due to pneumonia or the flu.
Many understand the prolonged agony of suffering through two weeks of upset stomach, achiness, and respiratory symptoms, but the true severity of the illness is too often overlooked. Eight young children were among those victims claimed by the flu during that single week.
Hundreds of millions of vaccines have been administered to the citizens of this country, though there are still a large number of St. Petersburg residents who have chosen not to receive the preventative medication. Others don’t have a choice. Many facilities are requiring employees and regular attendants to be vaccinated. Even schools are included on this list.
Unfortunately, those efforts are not always praiseworthy. Just ask the family of a four-year-old New Jersey resident who missed one week of pre-school because his parents would not let him receive the flu vaccine. The school had mandated that all students under the age of five be vaccinated, but the parents had reason to refuse.
You see, the vaccination is not always recommended. It is not entirely safe for those with egg allergies. Within the formula used to create the serum is the need for small amounts of egg protein. The nasal vaccine requires the same.
The amount of egg protein in each vaccination is minor, but it can be enough to cause a serious reaction in allergy sufferers, like this small boy. Physicians recommend that individuals with the allergy have a skin test first. A small amount of the solution is placed on a patch of skin, which is then monitored for reaction before the vaccination is deemed safe.
It is important to realize that the flu shot is not recommended for everyone. You should not feel pressured to receive it if you are among those at risk, regardless of who might mandate it. There are flu medications that can be taken within twenty-four hours of symptoms to shorten the duration and minimize reactions to the illness for those who cannot receive the vaccination.
Seek the advice of a personal injury attorney if someone is mandating you receive the vaccination and you consider it unsafe.