Can You Get The Flu From The Flu Vaccine

Does The Vaccine For One Virus Protect Against The Other Virus

COVID-19 and influenza are two very different respiratory viruses. The vaccine against COVID will not protect against influenza. The vaccine against influenza will not protect against COVID. We really are recommending that you be vaccinated against both viruses to protect you, your family, and your community.

What Side Effects Can Occur After Getting A Flu Vaccine

• While a flu vaccine cannot give you flu illness, there are different side effects that may be associated with getting a flu shot or a nasal spray flu vaccine. These side effects are mild and short-lasting, especially when compared to symptoms of a bad case of flu.

A flu shot: The viruses in a flu shot are killed , so you cannot get flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that may occur are:

• Soreness, redness, and/or swelling where the shot was given

• Headache

• Nausea

• Fatigue

The nasal spray: The viruses in the nasal spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness. In children, side effects from the nasal spray may include:

• Runny nose

• In adults, side effects from the nasal spray vaccine may include:

• Runny nose

• Sore throat

• Cough

• If these problems occur, they begin soon after vaccination and usually are mild and short-lived. A flu shot, like other injections, can occasionally cause fainting. Tell your provider if you feel dizzy or have vision changes or ringing in the ears. As with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injuries, or death.

Can You Get The Flu After The Flu Shot

Flu season is here. With dropping temperatures and shorter days comes a higher risk of getting the flu. But the risk doesnt stop there. Many people can actually transmit the virus to others a day before they ever show symptoms. The flu may not pose much risk to you, but it might be more dangerous for people around youespecially very young children or older adults.

Each year, scientists determine which strain of the flu is most likely to be common and develop a vaccine specifically for that strain. The flu vaccine uses an inactivated, or dead, form of the virus, so you cant get the flu from the flu shot. It takes about two weeks after getting the shot for the vaccine to be effective.

Its possible to get infected in that two-week period or to be exposed to a different strain of the flu and still come down with it. However, getting the flu shot does reduce both the risk of getting the flu and the severity of the disease, along with helping prevent you from transmitting it to others.

Thats why medical professionals like Bridget Bolterstein, nurse practitioner at Aurora St. Lukes South Shore Medical Center, recommend getting the flu vaccine.

Getting the flu vaccine decreases your chance of getting a severe case and transmitting the disease, said Bolterstein. You could still get the flu after being vaccinated, but youll likely have a much milder case.

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Is The Flu Vaccine Safe

• The flu vaccine is safe for most people and is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older. People who should not receive flu vaccines are those who have had a severe allergic reaction to the flu or other vaccine in the past and those who have had a condition called Guillan-Barre syndrome.

• If you have questions about your specific medical conditions, call your doctor to ask if its safe for you to get a flu vaccine.

When To Get The Influenza Vaccine

Yearly vaccination before the onset of each flu season is recommended. In most parts of Australia, flu season occurs from June to September, with the flu vaccine typically available from April.

Recent evidence suggests optimal protection against the flu occurs within the first 3-4 months following vaccination. It is important to note that, while the influenza virus continues to circulate, it is never too late to vaccinate.

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The Flu Shot Is Still Worth It

While the flu shot cant eliminate your risk of coming down with the flu, it does offer many benefits, including greatly reducing your chances of getting sick.

And if you do get the flu after getting vaccinated, youre more likely to get a milder case with less severe symptoms. The vaccine also lowers the likelihood of serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia or being hospitalized.

Why Should I Get The Flu Vaccine

Nationally, influenza vaccination prevented an estimated 7.52 million illnesses, 3.69 million medical visits, 105,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 deaths due to influenza during the 2019-2020 season. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through the community.

It is especially important to get the flu vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Flu vaccination reduces the prevalence and severity of illness caused by flu, reducing symptoms that might be confused with those of COVID-19
• It will reduce the overall burden of respiratory illness that will protect people at higher risk for severe illness of both flu and COVID-19
• The reduction of outpatient illnesses, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit admissions from flu vaccination will alleviate stress on the health care system

For additional information, please see the CDC page: This Season a Flu Vaccine is More Important than Ever!

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Some People May Need More Than One Influenza Vaccine Each Year

There are some people who are recommended to have a second dose of the flu vaccine within the space of one year.

These include:

• Children less than 9 years receiving their flu vaccine for the first time require 2 doses 4 weeks apart for an adequate immune response.
• People who have had a haematopoietic stem cell transplant or solid organ transplant and are receiving the flu vaccine for the first time after transplant.
• Pregnant women, who may be vaccinated with the next seasons flu vaccine if it becomes available in the latter part of their pregnancy, even if they were vaccinated with the previous seasons vaccine prior to or earlier in pregnancy.
• Overseas travellers, who may benefit from a second dose of this seasons flu vaccine if going to the northern hemisphere winter and receiving the northern hemisphere formulation there is not feasible.

Please check with your GP, pharmacist, or other immunisation provider to find out whether you fall into one of these categories.

Myth: The Local Pharmacy Is As Good As My Gp For Flu Shots

Pharmacists are now permitted to administer the flu shot. However, youre much better off visiting a GP clinic.

Its more likely your GP or practice nurse will insist you hang around for 15 minutes after your immunisation. This is to ensure youre not one of the unlucky few who experience anaphylactic reactions to vaccines and to help if youre in need.

Pharmacy chains often get their stock and start administering the flu shot as early as March each year. The problem with this is that a March flu shot will only protect you for the four months until the end of June. The peak flu season is in full effect until the end of August, so your GP will often say late April is best.

As part of your complete healthcare, a visit to your GP also provides an opportunity to have you and your familys immunisation histories reviewed to get all vaccines up to date.

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Take Additional Precautions To Protect Yourself Against The Flu

An annual flu shot is the best way to protect yourself against the flu. But since you can still get the flu even if you get the flu shot, there are additional things you should do to minimize your chances of getting sick.

• Wash your hands often.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Practice healthy habits, like getting plenty of sleep, exercise, water, and nutrients.

Yes You Can Still Get The Flu After A Flu Shot

• You can still get the flu after being vaccinated. If you get the shot too early in the year, its effectiveness could wane, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The flu vaccine can take the average healthy adult’s immune system up to two weeks to build up enough antibodies for protection, which means you still have a chance of getting the flu within those two weeks.
• If you have a weakened or impaired immune system your chances of getting the flu are higher, even if you’ve been vaccinated.
• This article was reviewed by Tania Elliott, MD, who specializes in infectious diseases related to allergies and immunology for internal medicine at NYU Langone Health.
• This story is part of Insider’s Flu Shot Guide.

Yes, you can still get the flu after a flu shot. For example, if you get the shot too early in the year, its effectiveness could wane, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Or sometimes it might just be bad luck, since the flu vaccine is not 100% effective.

Here are the primary ways you can still get the flu after a flu vaccine.

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What About The Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine

The nasal spray flu vaccine includes a live influenza virus that has been weakened so that it wont cause an illness, reports the CDC.

Use of the nasal spray is more limited that the traditional flu shot. The spray vaccine is approved for healthy, non-pregnant people aged 2 to 49. People with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions shouldnt get the nasal spray flu vaccine.

A Second Flu Can Be As Bad As The First

Getting the flu a second time can make you just as miserable as it did the first time around. And the potential for complications with the second infection is just as great as it was with the first.

Those complications can be serious, such as pneumonia and even sepsis, a potentially deadly reaction your body can have to infection.

Flu can also harm your heart. A study published in 2018 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that an individuals heart attack risk was six times higher than usual in the seven days following a positive test for influenza.

This may be of most concern to older adults, especially those with heart disease or who are at higher risk for heart disease because of smoking, diabetes, or other factors, says Jeff Kwong, M.D., lead author of the study and a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario.

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Should I Get The Flu Vaccine If I’m Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

• Years of studies and observation show that you can safely get a flu shot at any time, during any trimester, while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Babies cannot get the vaccine until six months old. Because antibodies from the vaccine pass onto a fetus in the womb and through breast milk, you protect your baby even more by getting vaccinated.

• Pregnant people should not get the nasal spray form of the flu vaccine. Those with a life-threatening egg allergy should not get the flu vaccine, whether pregnant or not.

SourcesFlu & Pregnancy- CDC

Who Should Skip The Flu Shot

While the flu vaccine is widely recommended for anyone aged 6 months or older, there are a few demographics who should take special consideration, saysDr. Wexler. There are also certain populations who may be better suited for one type of vaccine over another, so its important to seek medical advice regarding the best option for you. The most common considerations are:

The nasal spray flu vaccine carries for who should not receive this version of the vaccine. If you experience any of the below health conditions or fall into any of these categories, speak with your doctor about receiving a different form of the vaccine:

• Those younger than 2 years, or 50 years or older
• Young children who have asthma or a history of wheezing
• Children ages 2 years through 17 years who are taking medications that contain aspirin or salicylates
• Pregnant women
• People who are immunocompromised or live with or care for an immunocompromised person

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What Protection Does A Flu Vaccine Provide If I Do Get Sick With The Flu

• Some people who get vaccinated may still get sick. However, flu vaccination has been shown in some studies to reduce the severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick. A 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized adults with flu. Another study in 2018 showed that a vaccinated adult who was hospitalized with the flu was 59 percent less likely to be admitted to the ICU than someone who had not been vaccinated. Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated.

What Are The Benefits Of Flu Vaccination

There are many reasons to get an influenza vaccine each year. Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.

• Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with the flu.

• Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working-age adults, and older adults.

• Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.

• Flu vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year.

• Flu vaccination can reduce worsening and hospitalization for flu-related chronic lung disease, such as in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• Flu vaccination also has been shown in separate studies to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes and chronic lung disease.

• Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.

• Flu vaccines can be lifesaving in children.

• Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce the severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

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What Flu Vaccine Should I Get

Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people. There are flu shots approved for use in children as young as 6 months of age and flu shots approved for use in adults 65 years and older. Flu shots also are recommended for use in pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions. The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for use in non-pregnant individuals, 2 years through 49 years of age. People with some medical conditions should not receive the nasal spray flu vaccine. Your provider will know which flu vaccine is best for you.

Common Side Effects Of The Flu Vaccine

Some people don’t experience any side effects after a flu jab. But the most common reactions are:

• a sore arm, or pain, itching, or redness at the injection site
• aches and pains
• feeling feverish, tired, or unwell

These are normal responses to the vaccine.

You may be asked to wait 15 to 20 minutes after your vaccination so that treatment can be given quickly if a very rare, severe allergic reaction occurs. Many people aged 13 years and older will only need to wait 5minutes. Children under 13 years will need to wait 20 minutes.

Allergic responses are extremely rare.

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Misconceptions About The Timing Of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

Should I wait to get vaccinated so that my immunity lasts through the end of the season?

How long you are immune or your duration of immunity is discussed in the ACIP recommendations. While delaying getting of vaccine until later in the fall may lead to higher levels of immunity during winter months, this should be balanced against possible risks, such as missed opportunities to receive vaccine and difficulties associated with vaccinating a large number of people within a shorter time period.

Is it too late to get vaccinated after Thanksgiving ?

No. Vaccination can still be beneficial as long as flu viruses are circulating. If you have not been vaccinated by Thanksgiving , it can still be protective to get vaccinated in December or later. Flu is unpredictable and seasons can vary. Seasonal flu disease usually peaks between December and March most years, but disease can occur as late as May.

How Does The Flu Vaccine Work To Prevent The Flu

The flu vaccines stimulate the immune system to produce of antibodies in the body that fight the particular flu virus in the vaccination. When the virus enters a vaccinated person, the antibodies attack and kill the virus and prevent infection. Antibodies are produced against the specific strains of the virus contained in the yearly vaccine.

Flu vaccination does not protect against infection caused by microbes other than the influenza virus.

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Be A Flu Fighter By Getting Your Annual Flu Shot

There are a lot of reasons to get a flu shot. Its fast. Its easy. Its almost always free. But maybe one of the most important reasons is that it can significantly reduce your risk of getting the flu and passing it to others. And this helps you, your family and community stay healthy, happy and productive.