Ounces of prevention

Technical Sgt. Jeff Walston, 917th Wing, public affairs technician, opts to receive the traditional needle injection of the “seasonal” influenza vaccine from Lt. Col. Beverly Lewis, 917th Medical Squadron, clinical nurse, in the A-10 Hangar at Barksdale Air Base, La., October 4, 2009. Unlike the flu mist, which is a live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine sprayed into the nostrils, the “flu shot” is an inactivated (killed) vaccine, which is injected into the muscle. Influenza viruses are always changing. Because of this, influenza vaccines are updated every year, and an annual vaccination is recommended, but is mandatory for the military. These “seasonal” influenza vaccines are formulated to prevent annual flu, and do not protect against pandemic H1N1 influenza. It takes up to two weeks for protection to develop after the shot, and protection lasts up to a year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Akerele Adeyemi)