Pregnancy And Influenza Immunisation
Pregnant women are at increased risk of complications from influenza. Influenza vaccine is strongly recommended and safe for pregnant women at any time during pregnancy. It can also be safely given while breastfeeding.
Influenza vaccination of pregnant women also protects infants against influenza for the first 6 months after birth due to transplacental transfer of antibodies from the vaccinated woman to the unborn baby.
Vaccine Supply And Distribution
How much influenza vaccine is projected to be available for the 2021-2022 influenza season?
Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, so supply depends on manufacturers. Vaccine manufacturers have projected that they will supply the United States with as many as 188 million to 200 million doses of influenza vaccine for the 2021-2022 season. These projections may change as the season progresses. All flu vaccines for the 2021-2022 season will be quadrivalent . Most will be thimerosal-free or thimerosal-reduced vaccine and about 18% of flu vaccines will be egg-free.
Where can I find information about vaccine supply?
Special Consideration Regarding Egg Allergy
People with egg allergies can receive any licensed, recommended age-appropriate influenza vaccine that is otherwise appropriate. People who have a history of severe egg allergy should be vaccinated in a medical setting, supervised by a health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic reactions. Two completely egg-free flu vaccine options are available: quadrivalent recombinant vaccine and quadrivalent cell-based vaccine.
Can I Have The Flu Vaccine If I Take Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of medicine used to treat some cancers, including metastatic melanoma, renal clear cell carcinoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, non-small celllung cancer and other solid organ tumours. Checkpoint inhibitors include ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab.
People taking checkpoint inhibitors may have a higher risk of immune-related side effects following influenza vaccination. Talk to your oncologist about the risks and benefits of the flu shot.
For more information on the flu vaccine, go to the Department of Health website or call the National Immunisation Hotline on 1800 671 811.
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Your Child Caught The Flu
Children under the age of five are also considered to be high-risk individuals. Young children do not have fully developed immune systems, and those under the age of six months cannot receive the flu vaccine at all. Vaccinations are important for parents and children alike so that neither can transmit the virus to the other. The vaccine prevents roughly 66 per cent of infections in young children, a ratio that rises as children grow older.
What Do Eggs Have To Do With It
The questionnaire will also ask if you are allergic to eggs, among other things. That is because the flu vaccine may contain residual egg protein because it is grown in eggs.
In fact, all influenza vaccines available in Australia are prepared from purified inactivated influenza virus that has been cultivated in embryonated hens’ eggs.
The vaccine is grown in eggs because a virus cannot reproduce on its own, it has to infect a cell and take over that cell, and tell the generic material in that cell to make new viruses.
Emeritus Professor and Burnet Institute Visiting Fellow Greg Tannock, who sits on the Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee , said “about 90 per cent of influenza vaccines use, as starting materials, influenza viruses grown in the allantoic sac of 10 to 11-day-old fertile eggs.”
Other vaccines grown in eggs are:
- Pandemic inactivated influenza vaccine
- Yellow Fever vaccine
While it is relatively common in infants 8.9 per cent having a proven allergy to raw egg most kids outgrow it by the time they reach primary school, although it can sometimes persist into adult life.
Over the past few decades, the amount of egg protein used in the vaccine has been greatly reduced to less than just 1 microgram per dose.
Severe allergic responses are also very rare.
“They certainly do not constitute a reason for abandoning vaccination, because of the major public health consequences of influenza epidemics.
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Can I Get The Flu Vaccine If I Have A Latex Allergy
Influenza vaccines used in Australia dont contain latex and are safe for people with a latex allergy or sensitivity. While the product information for Fluarix Tetra and Fluad Quad state that some presentations of the vaccine cannot be considered latex-free, these presentations are actually not supplied in Australia.
How Long The Flu Shot Lasts
Your bodys immunity to the flu decreases over time. This is true whether youve had a vaccination or a flu infection.
Additionally, influenza viruses are constantly changing. Because of this, a vaccine from the previous flu season may not protect you through an upcoming flu season.
Generally speaking, receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine should help to protect you for the duration of the current flu season.
Youll need to receive a seasonal influenza vaccine every year in order to have the best protection against influenza viruses.
The flu vaccine is produced by a number of private manufacturers and typically begins to ship to healthcare providers in August. However, theres some evidence that it may not be advantageous to receive your vaccine this early.
A indicated that maximum immunity is achieved shortly following vaccination and decreases with each passing month. Therefore, if you get your vaccine in August, you may be more susceptible to infection late in the flu season, around February or March.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting the flu vaccine before influenza activity begins to pick up within your community, ideally by the end of October.
If you receive your vaccine later, dont worry. Late vaccination can still provide adequate protection, as influenza can circulate within your community through March or even later.
Side effects from the flu shot are typically mild and only last a few days.
Flu vaccine side effects can include:
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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.
We Dont Know Which Subtypes Will Circulate In Australia
Data about flu vaccine effectiveness in the southern hemisphere 2022 winter isnt yet available, and its unclear how protective the current vaccine is against the currently circulating disease-causing subtypes.
While H3N2 viruses appears to be driving some disease now, other flu viruses may become more prevalent later in the season.
The flu vaccine is a quadrivalent vaccine, so in addition to influenza A H3N2, it will protect against another influenza A subtype and two distinct lineages of influenza B virus. These viruses dont change as rapidly as H3N2, so its more likely the vaccine will give better protection against these other influenza viruses.
Even if vaccine protection against H3N2 is lower than usual this year, the vaccine could make the difference between recovering at home versus ending up in hospital.
Read more:Which flu shot should I choose? And what are cell-based and ‘adjuvanted’ vaccines?
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Can You Get The Flu From A Flu Shot
Jason DelCollo, DO, is board-certified in family medicine and on the faculty of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Some people worry about getting a flu shot because they are afraid they will get sick from the vaccine. Rest assured, it is not possible to get influenza from the flu shot. It does not contain intact viruses that can cause infection. It is possible that you might not feel well after you get a flu shot, but that may be for any of several other reasons.
Headache And Other Aches And Pains
After your shot, you might have headaches or some achiness and pain in the muscles throughout your body. This also usually happens on the first day and goes away within two days. Taking pain relievers can help ease your discomfort.
Its controversial whether its safe to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to treat these vaccine side effects.
Some research suggests that these medications might change or decrease how your body responds to the vaccine. One study involving children found that taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen didnt reduce the bodys response to the flu vaccine.
Other research is mixed. Its still unclear whether these medications should be avoided.
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Flu Vaccine And Coronavirus
Flu vaccination is important because:
- more people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the COVID-19 pandemic
- if you get flu and COVID-19 at the same time, research shows you’re more likely to be seriously ill
- getting vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 will provide protection for you and those around you for both these serious illnesses
If you’ve had COVID-19, it’s safe to have the flu vaccine. It will still be effective at helping to prevent flu.
People At High Risk Of Complications From The Flu
- people with health conditions, such as:
- cancer and other immune compromising conditions
- diabetes
- kidney disease
- neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions
- children up to 18 years of age undergoing treatment for long periods with acetylsalicylic acid
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Do I Have To Wait Between Getting The Influenza And Covid
COVID-19 vaccines can be co-administered with an influenza vaccine.
Studies show that co-administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is safe and produces a good immune response.
The COVID-19 vaccinedoes not protect against theflu, so you should still have your annual flu shot.
Speak with your usual health care provider to see if this is right for you.
With new COVID-19 vaccine developments every day, its normal to have questions or concerns, and possibly feel hesitant about getting a vaccine. That’s why we’re providing accurate, evidence-based answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines.
When The Flu Vaccine Starts Working
Once you receive your flu shot, it takes 2 weeks for your body to develop antibodies that provide protection.
Its important to remember that during this period, youre still vulnerable to becoming ill with the flu.
During that time, you should be extra careful to:
- practice good hygiene
- avoid touching your nose or mouth whenever possible
- avoid crowds if flu is circulating in your community
These precautions are exponentially more important while COVID-19 is still a factor. You can develop the flu along with other respiratory infections, so protecting yourself and others is important.
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The Flu Vaccine Is Not 100% Effective
Even if you get your flu vaccine on time, it’s not 100% effective. So there’s still a chance you can get the flu even after you’ve been vaccinated.
That’s because scientists don’t always correctly match the viruses in the vaccine with those that pop up during the flu season. This is what’s called a mismatch.
The CDC typically recommends that vaccine manufacturers include virus particles or weakened viruses that have been circulating in the Southern Hemisphere six months or so before the upcoming flu season in the Northern Hemisphere. However, what infects the Northern Hemisphere isn’t always the same virus as what popped up in the Southern Hemisphere.
When there’s a mismatch, that can make the flu vaccine less effective and increase your chances of getting sick from influenza. In this case, CDC experts warn the public that the shot might not offer as much protection as it has other years. So far this flu season, it’s too early to tell how effective this year’s vaccine will be against the flu.
Why Do Some People Get The Flu After Receiving A Flu Shot
- It is possible to get the flu even if you receive a dose of flu vaccine. Flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness between 40% and 60%.
- Sometimes people are already exposed to flu virus before getting a flu shot.
- Some children require two doses of flu vaccine for protection against flu virus.
While its possible to get sick with the flu even after getting a flu shot, you can not get a flu infection from a flu vaccine. Some people may feel ill or have a reaction after a dose of flu vaccine, but this reaction is not a case of the flu.
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Managing Side Effects After Immunisation
Common side effects following immunisation are usually mild and temporary . Specific treatment is not usually required. There are several treatment options that can reduce the side effects of the vaccine including:
- Drinking extra fluids and not overdressing if there is a fever.
- Although routine use of paracetamol after vaccination is not recommended, if pain and fever are present, paracetamol can be given check the label for the correct dose or speak with your pharmacist .
Can A Flu Vaccine Give Me Flu
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No, a flu vaccine cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been killed and are therefore not infectious, or b) with proteins from a flu vaccine virus instead of flu vaccine viruses . Nasal spray vaccine is made with attenuated live flu viruses, and also cannot cause flu illness. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they are designed to only cause infection at the cooler temperatures found within the nose. The viruses cannot infect the lungs or other areas where warmer temperatures exist.
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I Felt Sick After Getting A Vaccine Why
Many years ago, I received the flu shot for the very first time and, later that day, I began to feel sick. Fatigue, body temperature on the rise and a general unease made me think I actually had the flu. Why get a flu shot if its going to give you the flu? I thought at the time and skipped that shot for a few years before being convinced to get it again.
It turns out that my reaction to the flu shot was natural. It did not give me the flu. Rather, it was probably inflammation created by my body in response to the vaccine, and this inflammatory response is known as a vaccines reactogenicity. The COVID-19 vaccines bring with them their own baggage of reactogenicity: potential redness and pain at the site of the injection, a bit of swelling, and sometimes body-wide symptoms like fatigue, headache and even fever.
So what exactly is going on inside the body that makes us think weve been infected by a nasty bug when its just a vaccine?
An activated ecosystem
A vaccine stimulates our immune system by presenting an inactive microbe, either whole or partial , to our body. Its no wonder then that our immune system sometimes responds to this by triggering the same cascade of events that is required to help us fight the real deal.
No pain, no gain?
Stay Safe Get Vaccinated
The CDCsays it takes about two weeks for protective antibodies to develop in response to the flu shot. It recommends having a flu shot in September and, ideally, by the end of October.
But if youve had coronavirus and need to wait until you meet the CDCs criteria for determining when to get vaccinated, rest assured that you can still get a flu shot later in the season, well into January and the early spring months. The CDCexpects vaccines will be available for a longer period this flu season because vaccine manufacturers are producing a record number of doses.
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Youre Experiencing Side Effects
If you had mild symptoms that started very soon after the shot, you were likely experiencing side effects from the vaccine. These usually last 1 to 2 days. The flu shot can cause symptoms that feel like the flu:
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Body aches
You can also have arm redness, swelling, and soreness where the shot was injected.