{"id":12674,"date":"2018-09-21T17:10:48","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T11:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmir.today\/?p=12674"},"modified":"2018-09-21T17:10:48","modified_gmt":"2018-09-21T11:40:48","slug":"doctors-association-kashmir-issues-advisory-on-flu-vaccination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/?p=12674","title":{"rendered":"Doctors Association Kashmir issues advisory on flu vaccination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><i>Srinagar, Sep 21:<\/i><\/strong><i> With flu season just around the corner, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday urged people to get vaccinated against flu.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cVaccination is the single best defense against flu,\u201d said DAK President and flu expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>He said everyone 6 months and older should get annual flu vaccine before the start of flu season which begins in October and can last as late as May. Since it takes two weeks for flu vaccine to become fully effective, it is best to get the vaccine now. However, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>Dr Nisar said this season\u2019s flu vaccine has been updated to better match currently circulating viruses. This year quadrivalent influenza vaccine containing H3N2, H1N1 and two B viruses is recommended. There are number of flu vaccines available, but there is no preference for one vaccine over the other.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cThe nasal spray flu vaccine is back for children and needle-shy adults. It is approved for people between age of 2 years and 49 years. It is not recommended for pregnant women,\u201d he said.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cGetting a flu vaccine reduces illnesses, doctors\u2019 visits, hospitalization and death,\u201d said Dr Nisar.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>He said while the vaccine is recommended for all, it is especially needed in young children, elderly, pregnant women and people with medical conditions.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cChildren 6 months through 8 years getting vaccinated for the first time and those who have received only one dose in their life time should get two doses of vaccine this season spaced at least 4 weeks apart,\u201d he added.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>Dr Nisar said vaccination to expectant mother is critically important to protect their newborn babies\u2019 upto 6 months who are too young to receive the vaccine.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cIt is mandatory for healthcare workers to get vaccinated to prevent spread of flu to patients who are vulnerable to flu-related complications and death,\u201d he informed.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>Dr Nisar said in addition to the yearly flu vaccine, people can prevent the spread of the flu by maintaining good hygiene.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u201cWashing your hands and covering your cough or sneeze will keep you and people around you healthy and well. If you are down with flu, stay away from work, school and gatherings until you are free from symptoms,\u201d he said.<\/i><br \/>\n<i>Flu is a respiratory disease which manifests with cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose and body ache.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Srinagar, Sep 21: With flu season just around the corner, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday urged people to get vaccinated against flu. \u201cVaccination is the single best defense against flu,\u201d said DAK President and flu expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan. He said everyone 6 months and older should get annual flu vaccine before the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-union-territory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmir.watch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}