Flu: the facts
1.
Flu (influenza) is an acute viral respiratory infection. It
spreads easily from person to person: at home, at school, at work, at the
supermarket or on the train.
B. It gets passed on when
someone who already has flu coughs or sneezes and is transmitted through the
air by droplets, or it can be spread by hands infected by the virus.
C. Symptoms can
include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, extreme fatigue, a dry cough,
sore throat and stuffy nose (Question no: 14, Answer: C).
Most people will recover within a week but flu can cause severe illness or even
death in people at high risk. It is estimated that 18,500-24,800 deaths in
England and Wales are attributable to influenza infections annually.
D. Vaccination is the most
effective way to prevent infection. Although anyone can catch flu, certain
people are at greater risk from the implications of flu, as their bodies may
not be able to fight the virus. If you are over 65 years old, or suffer from
asthma, diabetes, or certain other conditions, you are considered at greater
risk from flu and the implications can be serious(Question no: 07,
Answer: D). If you fall into one of these
‘at-risk’ groups, are pregnant or a carer, you are eligible for a free flu
vaccination(Question no: 12, Answer: D).
E. If you are not
eligible for a free flu vaccination, you can still protect yourself and those
around you from flu by getting a flu vaccination at a local pharmacy (Question
no: 08, Answer: E).
F. About seven to ten days
after vaccination, your body makes antibodies that help to protect you against
any similar viruses that may infect you. This protection lasts
about a year (Question no: 10, Answer: F).
G. A flu
vaccination contains inactivated, killed virus strains so it can’t give you the
flu. However, a flu vaccination can take up to two weeks to begin working, so
it is possible to catch flu in this period(Question no: 13,
Answer: G).
H. A flu vaccination is designed to protect you against the most common
and potent strains of flu circulating so there is a small chance
you could catch a strain of flu not contained in the flu vaccine (Question
no: 11, Answer: H).
I. The influenza
virus is constantly changing and vaccines are developed to predicted strains
each year so it is important to get vaccinated against the latest strains (Question
no: 09, Answer: I).
Speak to your GP or nurse today to book your flu vaccination.
Questions 7-14
The text has nine sections, A-I. Which sections contain the
following information?
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 7-14 on
your answer sheet.
NB You may use any answer more than once.
7. examples of people who are likely to be particularly
badly affected by flu
8. how to get a vaccination if you choose to pay for it
9. why new vaccines become available
10. how long a vaccine remains effective
11. reference to the possibility of catching a different type of flu
from the ones in the vaccine
12. categories of people who do not have to pay for vaccination
13. information about what a vaccine consists of
14. signs that you might have flu
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