When breastfeeding, vaccination is actually very important. The antibodies produced by the vaccinated breastfeeding mother will be excreted with the breast milk. Then, what about the flu vaccine ? Can the flu vaccine be given to breastfeeding mothers?
The answer is, yes. The flu vaccine is a vaccine that provides protection against flu. In addition to protecting the mother, administering the flu vaccine while breastfeeding can also protect the baby from flu, because the antibodies produced by the mother are released through breast milk.
Also read: This is the reason the common cold can cause pneumonia
According to research in the journal Drugs and Lactation Database , babies of pregnant women who get the flu vaccine during the third trimester of pregnancy and consume breast milk for 14 weeks will experience a 36 percent reduction in their risk of respiratory disease accompanied by fever.
Why Is The Flu Vaccine Important?
Maybe you are thinking, why is the flu vaccine important, even though it usually only causes mild symptoms? Therefore, the flu can also cause serious complications in some people.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of flu that causes complications reaches 5 million cases per year, and the death rate reaches 650,000 cases worldwide.
Serious complications due to flu are usually more prone to occur in the elderly, pregnant women, children aged 6 months to 5 years, medical workers, and people with chronic diseases. Possible complications include pneumonia, central nervous system disorders, and heart problems such as myocarditis and heart attacks.
Also read: Still Growing, Why Do Children Often Have Flu and Cough?
Since there is the potential to cause serious complications and death, prevention should be taken against this disease. One way is to get the flu vaccine. That way, the risk of catching the flu will be reduced. Even if you have the flu, your symptoms will tend to be mild.
How the Flu Vaccine Works
The flu vaccine works by building antibodies in a person’s body to fight the influenza virus. This vaccine takes about 2 weeks to work to create antibodies in the body.
In countries with cold climates, the flu season occurs between December and February. So, to be effective, the flu vaccine is recommended to be given before December, and the best time is November or October.
However, in a tropical country like Indonesia, flu outbreaks can occur at any time. Therefore, there really isn’t a specific time to get the flu vaccine.
If in the past 1 year you haven’t gotten the flu vaccine, you can immediately ask for this vaccine from your doctor. To make it easier, you can download the Halodoc application to make an appointment with a doctor at the hospital , to request a flu vaccine.
Also read: Flu does not heal, do you need to go to a specialist?
WHO recommends the flu vaccine especially for:
- Children 6 months to 5 years old.
- Elderly people (over 65 years).
- Pregnant mother.
- Chronic disease.
- Medical workers.
Reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , some flu vaccines contain eggs in them, but people who have egg allergies can still receive this vaccine. However, for the use of the flu vaccine to be effective and safe, you should discuss with your doctor before vaccinating.
It should be understood, the flu vaccine is also not recommended to be given to people who are seriously ill, have had an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine before, or have experienced Guillain-Barre syndrome after receiving the flu vaccine.
