Sitting in a plane next to someone coughing and sneezing with a heavy flu will get you worried about being infected as well, and if you didn’t get the flu shot before travelling, you can’t help but wonder if you will be lucky to get off the plane without an infection. Well, the flu is a common occurrence, and as a traveler, here are a few facts about the infection you should be aware of:
Travelers are exposed to the flu throughout the year
Most people think of the flu season as being during the winter months, but the fact is that influenza is present all year round in the tropics.
The virus is constantly changing
The influenza virus keeps on changing every time and this is why the shots are also changed every now and then. The strain of the virus active this year may not be the same one next year, and if the same shot is used for both, there are higher chances that the shot will not be effective.
Flu can worsen common health conditions
Having the flu is a misery to many people, and when it is combined with common diseases, then it may become even fatal. For instance, if you suffer from a heart condition, diabetes or asthma, and you catch the flu on top of that, then life can be almost unbearable. This is where a preventative flu shot would have been beneficial.
It is less popular than other travel vaccines
It is funny to note that almost every traveler is likely to encounter the flu infection, yet the shot is the least sought out by most people. When people visit travel clinics, they think of big names such as Hepatitis, Japanese Encephalitis, and Typhoid amongst others. But despite this fact, it remains a humble vaccine that can save you a lot of discomfort during your trips.