关于今年的流感你需要知道什么

关于今年的流感你需要知道什么

Your throat's scratchy and you're starting to cough. You're pretty sure you have a fever and your body's starting to ache. Is it a cold or could it be the onset of the dreaded flu?

你喉咙发痒，而且开始咳嗽。你很确定你发烧了，你的身体开始疼痛。是感冒还是可怕的流感的开始?

Flu season often starts around October and can last as late as May. (Photo: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock)

Although flu can circulate year-round, typically flu viruses are spread most commonly in fall and winter. Each year, activity varies with different strains making their way around the U.S.

虽然流感可以全年传播，但流感病毒通常在秋季和冬季传播。每年，活动随着不同的菌株在美国的传播而改变。

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that flu is getting an early start in the U.S. this season. As of late November, 30 states are seeing flu activity. Three states — California, Louisiana and Maryland — are seeing widespread activity. Seven seven states are experiencing regional activity: Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Texas.

美国疾病控制与预防中心报告说，流感本季度在美国开始较早。截至11月底，已有30个州出现流感活动。有三个州——加利福尼亚、路易斯安那和马里兰——出现了广泛的地震活动。7个州正在经历区域性活动:阿拉巴马州、佛罗里达州、印第安纳州、内华达州、新罕布什尔州、田纳西州和得克萨斯州。

When should you get your flu vaccine this year?

今年你应该什么时候接种流感疫苗?

The CDC tells doctors they can vaccinate patients as soon as the flu vaccine becomes available. But it's key to get the vaccine before the onset of flu season, which typically starts around October and can run as late as May. Because it takes about two weeks for antibodies that protect against the flu to develop in your body after you get the vaccine, the CDC recommends getting the vaccine by the end of October. Children who need two doses of flu vaccine should start the process sooner because those doses typically need to be given four weeks apart.

疾控中心告诉医生，一旦流感疫苗可用，他们就可以为病人接种。但在流感季节开始前接种疫苗是关键，流感季节通常在10月左右开始，最迟可持续到5月。因为在你接种疫苗后，你体内大约需要两周的时间来产生预防流感的抗体，疾病预防控制中心建议在10月底之前接种疫苗。需要两剂流感疫苗的儿童应该尽早开始接种，因为这两剂疫苗通常需要间隔四周接种。

That doesn't mean you're too late if your annual physical is in November or later. In the past, peak flu season activity has typically occurred in January or later, so getting a flu vaccine later than October can still help protect you.

这并不意味着如果你的年度体检是在11月或更晚的时候，你就太晚了。在过去，流感高峰期通常发生在1月或之后，所以在10月之后接种流感疫苗仍然可以帮助保护你。

The flu shot is recommended over the nasal spray for most children. (Photo: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock)

Can you get the flu vaccine if you are allergic to eggs?

如果你对鸡蛋过敏，可以接种流感疫苗吗?

Most flu vaccines are made from viruses grown in fertilized chicken eggs. This is why you may be asked if you have an egg allergy before getting a flu shot. And that's why, in the past, people with egg allergies have been cautioned to avoid the flu shot.

大多数流感疫苗是由在受精卵中生长的病毒制成的。这就是为什么在注射流感疫苗之前，你可能会被问到是否对鸡蛋过敏。这就是为什么在过去，对鸡蛋过敏的人被警告要避免注射流感疫苗。

But the CDC clarified that people who have only had hives when exposed to eggs "can get any licensed flu vaccine that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health." People who've had more serious symptoms after egg exposure — such as respiratory distress or lightheadedness — can still get the flu vaccine. But they should get it in a medical setting (such as a hospital, clinic or a doctor's office) where they can be supervised by a health care provider who can recognize and manage a severe allergic condition.

但是疾病预防控制中心澄清说，那些只有在接触到鸡蛋时才有麻疹的人“可以得到任何符合他们年龄和健康的许可的流感疫苗。”那些在鸡蛋接触后出现更严重症状的人，如呼吸困难或头晕，仍然可以接种流感疫苗。但是，他们应该在医疗机构(如医院、诊所或医生办公室)接受检查，在那里，他们可以接受能够识别和控制严重过敏症状的卫生保健提供者的监督。

How effective will the flu vaccine be this year?

今年流感疫苗的效果如何?

Because there are many different strains of flu viruses, the flu vaccine is updated each year. It's formulated to address the viruses that health experts believe will be circulating the upcoming season. Typically influenza A viruses are more common than influenza B viruses, but both cause infections every season and are covered in the annual flu shot.

因为流感病毒有许多不同的变种，所以流感疫苗每年都会更新。它的制定是为了应对卫生专家认为将在即将到来的季节传播的病毒。一般来说，甲型流感病毒比乙型流感病毒更常见，但这两种病毒都会在每个季节引起感染，而且每年都会接种流感疫苗。

The CDC monitors viruses as they circulate and provides informative about effectiveness once flu season is underway.

美国疾病控制与预防中心监测病毒的传播，并在流感季节到来时提供有关有效性的信息。