Influenza Alert: If You Catch the Flu, Should You Still Get Vaccinated?

Hello, this is Merry Plastic Surgery Clinic, always happy to see you.

As the temperature suddenly drops below freezing, more people around us are coughing or sniffing with runny noses.

If you have a cough or runny nose, is it the flu? It’s something people wonder and worry about.

Today, we’ll look at:

when to suspect the flu,

whether you should get vaccinated even if you have the flu,

and whether you can go to work or school if you get the flu, and more.

When should you suspect the flu?

Basically, the flu is an acute respiratory illness that develops after infection with the influenza virus.

Type A flu and Type B flu refer to types of influenza.

Type A flu tends to cause more severe symptoms than Type B flu, and each has a different peak season.

Does having a cough, runny nose, or phlegm mean it is the flu?

Now that various respiratory viruses are circulating, many people seem to know this well,

but unlike a simple cold, the flu

causes a sudden high fever (38°C or above) and severe whole-body symptoms (chills, muscle aches, joint pain, fatigue),

which can make you stay in bed.

These symptoms occur in both Type A and Type B flu,

but Type B flu has fewer mutations and spreads more slowly.

Flu symptoms:

Severe symptoms such as high fever and chills usually last about 2–3 days,

other symptoms usually last about 5–7 days,

and fatigue, low energy, and a lingering cough can last for more than 2 weeks.

It would be nice if they all went away at once.

If you want to suffer less from flu symptoms,

antiviral treatment within 48 hours after symptom onset, or at the latest within 72 hours, can help relieve symptoms.

If you get the flu, can’t you go to school or work?

As of December 2024, influenza, along with COVID-19, is a Class 4 legally designated infectious disease.

A Class 4 legally designated infectious disease does not require mandatory isolation (as in the case of past COVID-19 infections).

There is no isolation obligation for Class 4 legally designated infectious diseases, and absences are recognized as justified for such diseases.

There may be slight differences in attendance systems depending on the school,

but if you are absent due to a legally designated infectious disease, you usually need to submit supporting documents along with an absence report,

so it would be best to get tested with a flu kit at the hospital, receive treatment, and keep the paperwork as well.

Can you still get the flu even after vaccination?

Getting the flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent it.

The recently used quadrivalent vaccine creates antibodies (immunity) against Type A and Type B influenza,

with a preventive effect of about 70–90%.

Still, it is not 100%,

and because the vaccine is made by predicting which types of flu will spread each year, if the prediction is wrong, the flu spreads more.

It is frustrating, but getting the flu after vaccination is not something very unusual.

If you get the flu, should you still get vaccinated?

The quadrivalent flu vaccine we receive can help prevent the four types of flu expected to circulate during the winter of 2024 to spring of 2025.

Even if you caught the flu this time, you have not gained immunity to the other types of flu, so you can get infected again.

Therefore,

even if you get the flu, you should still get vaccinated.

In particular, since immunity is acquired only two weeks after vaccination, get vaccinated as soon as possible today.

As the number of flu patients has been increasing for five consecutive weeks and a flu warning is said to be imminent,

today we looked at the flu and flu vaccination in general.

I hope everyone has a healthy year-end.

This has been Merry Plastic Surgery Clinic, always happy to see you.