HGLIVING
146 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
A SMARTER WAY
TO SNEEZE
It’s time to unlearn the habit of
sneezing or coughing into our hands
and instead, cough into an arm, says
Dr Clare Ballingall. “A single sneeze
can launch half a million flu viruses
into the air, or onto our hands if we use
them to cover our mouth and nose,”
she says. “That’s how viruses are easily
transferred onto doorhandles
and other surfaces.”D
id you know that the flu
virus can survive for
uptotwodaysonhard,
non-porous surfaces? This
means doorhandles and any
number of shared surfaces could
be infected. It’s an argument
for frequent hand-washing...
and flu vaccination, says
Dr Clare Ballingall of the Royal
Australian College of General
Practitioners (RACGP).
“The best protection is a flu
shot,” she says. “It’s like giving
the body a photo of the virus so
it can learn to recognise it and
mount a defence against it.” A
common myth about the vaccine
is that it works by giving you a
mild dose of flu, but that’s not
the case, says Dr Ballingall. “It
doesn’t contain a live virus, so
it can’t transmit the flu.”
Unlike some other vaccines,
there’s no one-off shot that gives
years of protection. Influenza
viruses keep mutating, so each
year you need a new formulation
to protect against the latest
strains. This year’s vaccine
protects against four viruses.
How good is a shot at
preventing flu? According to the
Influenza Specialist Group, an
organisation of Australian and
New Zealand flu specialists, it’shard to say. It can depend on the
age of the person having the
shot, how effective their immune
system is, and how similar the
virus in the vaccine is to those
circulating in the community.
However, some studies suggest
it can be 60 to 85 per cent
effective in children aged six
months to six years, and about
59 per cent effective in healthy
adults under 65.
Peak flu season runs from late
autumn to early spring, with a
spike at the end of August/early
September, just when you think
the worst of winter is over.
In addition to protecting
yourself through winter on the
home front, it’s a good idea to
have a flu shot when you travel
overseas. While we make
a point of having vaccinations
against diseases such as
hepatitis A, we’re actually more
likely to encounter flu when we
travel on crowded planes and
navigate busy airports.
“The flu virus in the Northern
Hemisphere is similar to the one
in the Southern Hemisphere, but
they’re not the same and the
vaccines are different,” says
Dr Ballingall. “If you’ll be away
for two months or more, get a
shot at your destination.” # Illustration by Domenic Bahmann.Health
Flu season is here and everyone,
no matter how healthy, is at risk
of infection. Arm yourself with a
vaccination, writesPaula Goodyer.GOING VIRAL
‘The best protection is a flu shot.
It’s like giving the body a photo
of the virus so it can learn to
recognise it and mount a defence.’
Dr Clare Ballingall, Royal Australian College of GPs