How long does a flu vaccine protect you?

Answer 1

I am not sure how long you keep the antibodies in your system, but the flu virus mutates and is a different strain every year. It is presumed you are good for the year/flu season with the vaccine. Next year the old you took won't be very effective for the new year's strain.

Answer 2

the actual vaccine is good for many years (for the strains you were vaccinated against). if i had to guess id say 10-20 years or more. but, they only put what doctors think will be the 3 most common strains of the virus for that year in the vaccine, and there are hundreds probably thousands of different strains of the flu virus and the virus is always mutating and creating new strains (which the old vaccine may not protect well against). so what is popular one year might not be popular the next year, so it while youll still have good immunity to the virus you were vaccinated last year, a different bug might be going around this year that the vaccine will offer little protection for

Answer 3

They inject you with an inactive form of the flu virus. This allows your body the chance to build anti-bodies to the virus. Anti-bodies are what the body creates to eventually help you to fight off an illness or keeps you from getting the illness. So in the case of the flu vaccine by injecting you with the inactive germ your body produces anti-bodies and when you later come in contact with that particular flu germ your body already has the defenses to keep you from getting sick. Hope this helps

Answer 4

forever but only against that strain. usually the prevalent strain changes each year so you'd need a new one if you want to be protected against the common flu going around.

Answer 5

Well, they're given each year because mostly flu season is 3 months per year.

Answer 6

as long as a year but the average is only three months
and it only will protect against one strain

Answer 7

until you get the flu.