Possible Side Effects Of The Flu Vaccine
The influenza vaccine can cause side effects. In children under 5 years, these reactions may be more obvious.
Common side effects of influenza vaccine include:
- drowsiness or tiredness
- localised pain, redness and swelling at the injection site
- occasionally, an injection-site lump that may last many weeks but needs no treatment
- low-grade temperature .
Misconceptions About Stomach Flu
Is the stomach flu really flu?
No. Many people use the term stomach flu to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or sick to your stomach can sometimes be related to flu more commonly in children than adults these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. Flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.
You Got The Flu Vaccine Too Early
Getting your flu vaccine is one instance when being overly prepared in life can have downsides.
The CDC recommends that adults get vaccinated by the end of October each year for the best protection against the flu. If you received your vaccine earlier, say in July or August, the CDC says your immunity to the influenza viruses will be “suboptimal” by the end of flu season, which could increase your risk of getting sick.
For children who need two doses of the flu vaccine, they should receive their first vaccine earlier because they need to wait at least four weeks for the second dose. The second dose should be administered no later than the end of October.
Recommended Reading: Is Advil Multi Symptom Cold And Flu Non Drowsy
Sometimes I Get The Flu Despite Having Had The Flu Shot Why Should I Bother
Flu vaccination prevents illness in up to 6 in 10 healthy adults under the age of 65. Because the vaccine is not effective in absolutely every case, some people may still catch the virus after having the flu shot. But the risk of illness is still reduced.
Although most people who get the flu recover without lasting effects, the flu can be very serious in some people and may require hospitalisation. In some cases, it can even be fatal. Its not possible to predict who will be severely affected.
Vaccination against the flu both reduces your chances of getting it and the severity of the symptoms if you do. So its still important to have the shot.
Here’s How You Can Catch Covid Even If You’re Vaccinated
The COVID vaccine can drastically decrease your risk of getting the virus, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t get COVID. Breakthrough cases are happening and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death. Most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19. This is called a breakthrough infection. Even when people who are fully vaccinated develop symptoms of COVID-19, they tend to be less severe than in people who are unvaccinated.” Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with experts who explain why people who are vaccinated can get COVID and the most likely ways of getting the virus. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Don’t Miss: Theraflu Expressmax Severe Cold And Flu Reviews
A Flu Vaccine Is The Best Prevention
Flu seasons and their severity are unpredictable. Annual vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza in people ages 6 months and older.
An annual vaccination to prevent flu is the best way to reduce the risk of getting the flu and spreading it to others. When more people get vaccinated, it is less likely that the flu viruses will spread through a community.
The vaccine typically changes each year and contains the four flu virus strains that are expected to circulate in the U.S. during the upcoming flu season. The effectiveness of influenza vaccines varies depending on several factors, such as the age and health of the recipient, the types of circulating influenza viruses, and the degree of similarity between circulating viruses and those included in the vaccine.
The task of producing a new vaccine for the next flu season starts well before the current season ends. For the FDA, its a year-round initiative.
The flu vaccine will trigger your immune system to produce antibodies to protect against influenza disease it will not make you sick with the flu. It can take about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body, which is an important reason to get your flu vaccine early, before flu activity starts.
Not Covering The Mouth Nose And Eyes While Indoors
Susky states, “If one does go indoors, they should wear a medical grade or a N95 mask. There are also masks combined with eye protection to cover all portals of entry of SARS-CoV-2 of one’s face . Frequent hand washing helps to prevent acquiring a viral illness as contaminated hands can bring a virus to the portals of entry in one’s face. Though it may not prevent someone from getting COVID-19, it will help immensely from getting severe COVID-19 is to get one’s full course of COVID-19 vaccine, which is three doses for most people now.”
Recommended Reading: What Was The Death Rate Of The Spanish Flu
What We Know About Vaccine Breakthrough Infections
- Vaccine breakthrough infections are expected. COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing most infections. However, like other vaccines, they are not 100% effective.
- Fully vaccinated people with a vaccine breakthrough infection are less likely to develop serious illness than those who are unvaccinated and get COVID-19.
- Even when fully vaccinated people develop symptoms, they tend to be less severe symptoms than in unvaccinated people. This means they are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than people who are not vaccinated.
- People who get vaccine breakthrough infections can be contagious.
CDC is collecting data on vaccine breakthrough infections and is closely monitoring the safety and effectiveness of all Food and Drug Administration approved and authorized COVID-19 vaccines.
Because vaccines are not 100% effective, as the number of people who are fully vaccinated goes up, the number of vaccine breakthrough infections will also increase. However, the risk of infection remains much higher for unvaccinated than vaccinated people.
The latest data on rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status are available from the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
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.
Sources
Also Check: Arm Is Sore From Flu Shot
Isolation Precaution Guidance For Nmems Fire And Law Enforcement
- If signs or symptoms of acute febrile respiratory illness are not present, proceed with normal EMS care with standard precautions.
- If the patient exhibits signs and symptoms of an acute febrile respiratory illness, standard precautions PLUS droplet precautions should be used for all direct patient care activities.
Aerosol-generating procedures:
- When medically essential, all EMS personnel engaged in aerosol generating activities should utilize fit-tested disposable N95 masks OR powered air purifying respirator , disposable non-sterile gloves, eye protection , and gown.
Consult with your medical director regarding modifications or changes to treatment protocol/guidelines that may be required.
Infection Control Precautions During Transport
- Place a surgical mask on the patient. If this is not possible, have the patient cover mouth/nose with tissue when coughing or use another practical method to contain cough Note: Small facemasks are available that can be worn by children, but it may be problematic for children to wear them correctly and consistently. No facemasks or respirators have been cleared by the FDA specifically for use by children.
- If you transport the patient with acute febrile respiratory illness, keep the windows of your vehicle open and set the heating and air-conditioning systems on a non-recirculating cycle.
- Notify the receiving healthcare facility so that appropriate infection control precautions may be taken prior to patient arrival.
Immunity Doesnt Kick In Right Away
It takes time for vaccines to build up immunity, and the two authorized coronavirus vaccines both require two doses, given several weeks apart, to train the bodys immune system. People can be exposed to coronavirus right before being vaccinated, or right after, and there wont be time for the body to develop its defenses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says building immunity typically takes a few weeks.
That means its possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick, the CDC says.
The 95% efficacy number for the Covid-19 vaccines also assumes some built-in wait time. Moderna measured the efficacy of its vaccine starting 14 days after the second dose, while Pfizer measured it starting seven days after the second dose.
Read Also: What Does The Flu Vaccine Do
Protection And Prevention Go Hand In Hand
Vaccines help slow down the spread of an infectious disease by breaking the chain of infection. Those who are infected eventually have fewer and fewer unprotected people to pass the virus on to. This is how a vaccine increases herd immunity susceptible and not-yet-immunized people are surrounded by a herd of people who have become immune, thanks to vaccination or previous infection. But studies suggest that, for a combination of biological and social reasons, vaccination alone is unlikely to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 and fully contain the coronavirus.
In fact, vaccination alone can take a long time to eradicate any disease. Even diseases that are nearly eliminated such as chickenpox, measles and pertussis can resurface with waning immunity and declining vaccine rates.
The recent outbreak of infections among the vaccinated New York Yankees shows that vaccinated people not only can still get infected, they might also transmit the coronavirus to close contacts. Highly tested groups, such as professional sports teams, spotlight the fact that mild, asymptomatic infections among the vaccinated in the general population might actually be more frequent than reported. A similar outbreak in airport workers in Singapore shows that, even among the fully vaccinated, new and more infectious variants can spread fast.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Can A Vaccinated Person Spread Coronavirus
Immunologists expect vaccines that protect against viral illnesses to also reduce transmission of the virus after vaccination. But its actually tricky to figure out for sure if vaccinated people are not spreading the germ.
COVID-19 poses a particular challenge because people with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections can spread the disease and insufficient contact tracing and testing mean those without symptoms are rarely detected. Some scientists estimate that the number of asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in the overall population could be 3 to 20 times higher than the number of confirmed cases. Research suggests that undocumented cases of COVID-19 in people who either were asymptomatic or experienced very mild disease could be responsible for up to 86% of all infections, though other studies contradict the high estimates.
In one study, the CDC tested volunteer health care personnel and other front-line workers at eight U.S. locations for SARS-CoV-2 infections weekly for three months, regardless of symptoms or vaccination status. The researchers found that fully immunized participants were 25 times less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than were those who were unvaccinated. Findings like this imply that if vaccinated people are so well protected from getting infected at all, they are also unlikely to spread the virus. But without contact tracing to track transmission in a larger population, its impossible to know if the assumption is true.
Read Also: Costco Flu Shots For Seniors
The Best Way To Prevent The Flu Is By Getting A Flu Vaccination Each Year
Flu viruses can cause illness in people of any age group. Some groups are more likely to have complications from the seasonal flu. These include:
- Children aged < 5 years, especially younger than 2 years old.
- Adults age 65 and older
- Women who are pregnant or postpartum
- People younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy
- Persons with chronic lung disorders , heart disease , kidney disorders, liver disorders, blood disorders , metabolic disorders , or neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions
- People with weakened immune systems due to disease or medication
- Native Americans and Alaskan Natives
- People who are morbidly obese
- Residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
Complications from the flu can include:
- Bacterial pneumonia
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
- Death
Vaccination is the best protection against contracting the flu. You are encouraged to talk to your doctor about getting the flu vaccine as soon as it is available! Vaccines are now available for the most common influenza viruses.
The recommendations for vaccination of people with egg allergies were changed for 2016-2017 flu season.
You Didn’t Respond Fully To The Vaccine
Your immune system may not respond fully to the vaccine and you may still get the flu if:
- You have an underlying medical condition that causes a weakened immune system, such as cancer or diabetes
- The vaccine wasn’t stored properly and as a result it’s not as effective
- The vaccine wasn’t given properly and as a result it’s not as effective
Even if you don’t respond fully to the vaccine, you are still less likely to have serious complications from the flu. This is especially important for children and older adults who are at the highest risk of experiencing serious flu complications.
Research shows that the majority of people who are vaccinated against the flu have significantly less severe symptoms and complications when they get sick than those who are unvaccinated.
Recommended Reading: How Long Did It Take To Make The Flu Vaccine
The Flu Is Even More Contagious Than You Think
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nick Rosen, MD on April 30th, 2021
When it comes time for flu season, its important to do everything you can to protect yourself before you get sick. Maybe you consider yourself pretty healthy and arent concerned about catching the flu, but even healthy individuals can contract this sometimes deadly disease. Thats because the flu is often more contagious than you think.
The 2019-2020 influenza outbreak was not only severe, but drawn out. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the 21-week season from October-May was the longest in 10 years. Additionally, more than 600,000 people sought treatment for the flu in emergency rooms. As people traveled to ERs and hospitals with chills, body aches, fever, headache and other symptoms, everyone within 6 feet of an infected individual was at risk of contracting the illness. It is worth noting that the 2020-2021 influenza season was dramatically less severe than the year prior, thought to be due to measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The infection can be especially dangerous to the very young, the very old, and those with other chronic illnesses. Because the flu is so common and can be deadly to so many in your community, its important that everyone understands how to prevent infection. Read on for answers to your questions about how contagious the flu is and how the flu is spread.
Annual Vaccination Is Recommended
Annual vaccination before the onset of each flu season is recommended. In most parts of Australia, this occurs from June to September.
Immunisation from April provides protection before the peak season. While the flu continues to circulate, it is never too late to vaccinate.
The flu vaccine cannot give you influenza because it does not contain live virus. Some people may still contract the flu because the vaccine may not always protect against all strains of the flu virus circulating in the community.
You May Like: Why Do Your Arm Hurt After A Flu Shot
How Is The Flu Spread
Some viruses require intimate contact or an exchange of bodily fluids in order to spread. Others can be spread by any skin-to-skin contacteven something as innocent as a handshake. The flu is far easier to spread, requiring no contact at all.
Its also possible to spread the flu via surface contact. If a sick person coughs into their hand and then touches a doorknob or other surface, those who touch that same surface after and then touch their face can become infected.
Flu Shot Won’t Make You Spread More Influenza
Getting the flu shot won’t make you spread the disease more, doesn’t weaken your immune system but it does offer some protection from getting infected, despite misleading claims on social media.
A post on a site called thewilddoc claimed that being vaccinated does more harm than good, citing a January peer-reviewed study. But one of the main authors of that study called the post “untrue” and “misleading,” not accurately interpreting the study.
In January, Dr. Donald Milton and a team of researchers at the University of Maryland published a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about how the influenza virus spreads not just in coughs, but also in the breath of 142 flu-struck people. Of those people with flu, only 22 percent had gotten vaccinated that year, but among those who had been vaccinated they shed six times more tiny aerosols of the flu.
The social media post than took that study and made four claims, all of which Milton said were untrue or misleading.
The biggest claim from the posting”individuals who receive the flu vaccine are placing others around them at greater risk than the unvaccinated”is wrong, according to Milton, who has a medical degree and doctorate in public health. “Unvaccinated people are more likely to get the flu and transmit it to other people because they shed lots of virus into the nasal secretions into the air,” he wrote in an email.
Explore further
Recommended Reading: What’s Good Medicine For Flu