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The word influenza comes from the Italian word influenza, from medieval Latin influentia, originally meaning 'visitation' or 'influence'. Terms such as influenza di freddo , meaning 'influence of the cold', and influenza di stelle , meaning 'influence of the stars' are attested from the 14th century.
In the second week after receiving the flu shot, the body's immune system is triggered by the antigens so the body starts producing antibodies. These antibodies help fight against influenza viruses. Influenza symptoms and deaths can be prevented by getting an influenza vaccine every year. [ 2 ]
Influenza vaccine, colloquially known as the flu shot [28] or the flu jab, [29] are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. [ 30 ]
Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza, caused either by Influenza A or by Influenza B. The season occurs during the cold half of the year in temperate regions; November through February in the northern hemisphere and May to October in the southern hemisphere.
A universal flu vaccine would be a flu vaccine effective against all human-adapted strains of influenza A and influenza B regardless of the virus sub type, or any antigenic drift or antigenic shift. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ page needed ] Hence it should not require modification from year to year in order to keep up with changes in the influenza virus.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 8 January 2025. Administration of a vaccine to protect against disease This article is about administration of a vaccine. For the vaccines themselves, see vaccine. See also: Immunization Medical intervention Vaccinations Girl about to be vaccinated in her upper arm ICD-9-CM 99.3 - 99.5 [edit on Wikidata ...
Adjuvants commonly are used to boost immune response, particularly for older people whose immune response to a simple vaccine may have weakened. [36] The efficacy or performance of the vaccine is dependent on several factors: the disease itself (for some diseases vaccination performs better than for others)
[18] [19] [20] Influenza (flu) is more severe in the elderly than in younger age groups, but influenza vaccines lack effectiveness in this demographic due to a waning of the immune system with age. [ 7 ] [ 21 ] The prioritization of school-age children for seasonal flu immunization, which is more effective than vaccinating the elderly, however ...