You shouldn’t underestimate the benefits of a flu shot. So why is it important?
This shot decreases your risk of contracting influenza. It will also make your illness milder if you get sick anyway. Thus, it lowers your chances of being hospitalized with the flu.
Hence, flu shots are particularly important for people with immune problems. But anyone can benefit from this shot. New research shows that it can also help prevent other diseases.
Protection Against Whooping Cough
Whooping cough is the common name for pertussis. This is a highly contagious bacterial disease. It comes with severe coughing, as well as occasional breathing problems.
Anyone can develop whooping cough. However, it can be deadly to babies younger than a year old. Babies can catch this disease from the mother or from another family member.
Researchers have discovered some new and surprising benefits of a flu shot. This shot could help prevent whooping cough in pregnant women. Hence, it also protects newborns from contracting this disease.
When a pregnant woman has had a flu shot, she is half as likely to develop whooping cough. Hence, this shot can protect the health of both mother and child. Vaccinated women will also be much less likely to contract whooping cough later in life.
Conclusion
So protection against this disease is among benefits of a flu shot. This discovery can save lives.
There are also other ways that this finding is significant. Medical science is still working on explaining the link between viral and bacterial infections. But this finding shows that vaccinating against viruses is also a good way to battle bacteria.
