Expert： I have had flu-like symptoms recently. It is recommended to get flu vaccine as soon as possible after recovery.

　　People’s Daily Online, Beijing, December 10 (Reporter Qiao Yeqiong) Today, the National Health and Wellness Commission held a press conference to introduce the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases in winter and answer questions from reporters.

　　At the meeting, a reporter asked whether the flu vaccine should be continued if the flu-like symptoms have already appeared, but they have not been diagnosed and recovered by themselves. When should I be vaccinated?

　　In this regard, Xia Gang, director of the Department of Health and Immunity of the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention, said that if flu-like symptoms have already appeared, it is still recommended to continue to vaccinate against influenza after being diagnosed and recovering.

　　Xia Gang explained that, first, the symptoms of respiratory tract infection are not specific, and flu-like symptoms such as fever and headache may occur in various pathogenic infections. However, these symptoms are not necessarily caused by influenza virus, but also by other pathogens, the most common being the common cold. Second, there are many types and subtypes of influenza virus that can cause epidemic. For example, there are both A and B, and in A, there are both H1N1 subtype and H3N2 subtype. After being infected with a certain type or subtype, there may be the risk of being infected with other types or subtypes. Influenza vaccine is a multivalent vaccine covering many different types and subtypes, which are commonly used trivalent and tetravalent vaccines. If you are vaccinated after being infected with a certain type of influenza, which contains other types of influenza components, you can still play a role in preventing this type of influenza.

　　Xia Gang said that in addition, in the same epidemic season, different types and subtypes are usually prevalent together. For example, at present, influenza A (H3N2 subtype) is the main strain, followed by influenza B. In the past, there have been cases in which the dominant strains gradually changed from one type to another in the same epidemic season. Therefore, even if flu-like symptoms have appeared recently, it is recommended to get flu vaccine as soon as possible after recovery, especially for key groups such as the elderly. Vaccination can reduce infection and reduce the risk of severe illness and death.