Hey there guys, I'm Jesse Crowe, The Travelling Scientist
and today I'm looking at the question of whether or not you should get the flu vaccine this year
So I used to work in vaccine development
and something that always surprised me is that the influenza vaccine isn't 100% effective
Depending on the strain of the virus and how the vaccine was developed
usually there's only between a forty and eighty percent chance that the vaccine will actually protect you
You see, the influenza virus is always circulating the globe
mutating and changing its structure so it can get past our immune systems and infect us
So when the World Health Organization is developing a vaccine to protect us against this virus
it has to predict how the virus is going to mutate several months in advance
so the companies have enough time to develop the vaccine and produce enough of it to spread to the large population
However, sometimes their predictions are wrong and sometimes the virus might mutate differently
and the vaccine might be a bit of a mismatch to the virus, making it less effective
so there's a slight chance that even if you DO get the influenza vaccine...
...you might still get the flu
...I know, it sucks right!
And there's also the side effects you can get from the vaccine like aches or a bit of a fever
That's just a normal immune response from getting a foreign substance injected into your arm
So let me explain how it works
The influenza vaccine can either be inactivated or recombinant
Inactivated means that the virus in the vaccine is dead so it can't cause infection
And recombinant means that the vaccine looks similar to the influenza virus so it'll produce an immune response
but in both cases the vaccine against the flu cannot make you sick
It can't! You're not getting injected with the flu
there is no possible way that getting a vaccine against the flu can give you the flu
it just it doesn't make sense, it's impossible
I just want to make that clear
What happens is the vaccine is actually recognized by your immune system
and it's kind of like putting "Wanted posters" up all over your body so it knows what the flu looks like
so if you do encounter the influenza virus later on
all the cells in your body are like "HEY, that's the guy, let's get him!"
and they all, like, jump on this flu virus and, like, tackle it down
and kill it before it can actually, y'know, give you the flu
And this is why you SHOULD get the influenza vaccine
It's unlikely, but it is possible that the influenza virus could mutate into a pandemic strain
This happened in 1919, that's 99 years ago
It was called the 'Spanish flu'... which I think is a little bit racist, but that's just me
It killed over 50 million people around the world...
50 MILLION!
It wasn't just killing elderly people and young children, it was mainly killing healthy adults
people between the age of 20 and 40 were getting infected and being killed by this influenza strain
and there's no reason why that couldn't happen again this year
Also, if you get vaccinated, you're one less person that could potentially carry the disease and spread it to others
It's not just about protecting yourself, but about protecting the people around you as well
ALSO, in Australia, if you're pregnant, if you're over 65
or if you have a long-term medical condition, the vaccine is free...
so why not get it!?
Look, ultimately the decision is yours
and that's obvious, I'm not going to tell you what to do
but I can give you your options
You can either face the pain, protect yourself and those around you
it's cheap as chips, but it might not work
Or you can take the risk, not get the vaccine, maybe you don't even need it
and you won't encounter the virus, but without the vaccination
you're more likely to get influenza, and that...that could KILL YOU!!!
...but it probably won't...
The last thing to note is that the vaccine takes one to two weeks to build up that immunity
usually get it mid to late Autumn, just before Winter
when influenza is at its peak
and if you've got any serious concerns about the vaccine, just ask your local doctor
Anyway, that's all for today guys
Thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it
If you like this video, please click the like button down below
and let me know what you think about the flu vaccine and vaccines in general in the comments section down below
Finally, subscribe for more Travelling Science every week!
I'll see you guys next time. Cheers!
Let me tell you a quick story
It was called the Spanish flu
and that could kill you!
so when the World Health Organization
Jumped on this tackle it down and killed it
before it could actually mutate differently
which i think is a little bit racist
I know it sucks right