Why Do Some People Not Feel Well Or Feel Like They Have Flu Symptoms After Getting A Flu Vaccine
While a flu vaccine cannot give you the flu, there may be times when you dont feel well after getting your flu vaccine. Heres why:
- You may get some mild and temporary side effects after your flu vaccine, such as soreness or redness where you got your shot, muscle aches, headache or a low fever. These common side effects usually begin soon after you get the vaccine and last 1-2 days. These reactions are a sign that your immune system is working and that your body is building protection against flu.
- You could become sick from other respiratory viruses that are spreading during flu season. A flu vaccine only protects you from the flu, not other illnesses like COVID-19 or the common cold.
- You could encounter flu viruses, which cause the flu, shortly before getting your flu vaccine or during the 2 weeks after getting the vaccine when your body is still building immunity. As a result, you could get the flu before the vaccine has the chance to protect you.
- You could experience flu-like symptoms, even after getting vaccinated, because you were exposed to a flu virus that is very different from the viruses that the vaccine is designed to protect against. There are many different flu viruses that spread and cause illness among people. However, even when the circulating flu viruses are not a perfect match to the strains in the flu vaccine, getting a flu vaccine should still help protect you against serious flu illness and its complications.
Can A Flu Vaccine Give Me The Flu
No. The way that flu vaccines are made, they cannot cause the flu. Flu shots are made from either flu viruses that have been inactivated OR with proteins from a flu virus. .
Nasal spray flu vaccine is made with weakened live flu viruses, and also cannot cause the flu. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they can only cause flu infection at the cooler temperatures found in your nose. These viruses cannot infect your lungs or other warmer areas of your body.
While some people may get mild side effects from the flu shot like a sore arm, a headache, muscle aches or a low fever, those side effects usually begin soon after the shot and only last 1 -2 days. These are actually signs that the vaccine is working and your body is building immunity.
Experts Warn Of Severe Flu Season As Outbreaks Start To Pop Up
– Flu outbreaks are already popping up in some parts of the country just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report about the impact a severe flu season may have on vulnerable health care systems.
Experts warn this flu season may be worse than last year.
Its very possible will experience a more severe flu season than we did last year. Many experts are predicting that, said Dr. Jennifer Caudle, a family physician and associate professor at Rowan University.
Caudle said the flu is back after essentially taking a break last season, when COVID-19 put a bigger emphasis on public health measures like handwashing, mask use and social distancing, which helped keep flu activity low.
The CDC recommends the flu vaccine for all people 6 months or older. They also said that it is safe to receive both the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time.
If you can do it conveniently in one visit, so whatever it takes to get both of them, go ahead and do it, Caudle said. If its one visit, its perfectly fine.
Clusters of cases are already happening in different parts of the country.
Last week, the CDC confirmed its helping investigate an outbreak of more than 500 flu cases among students at the University of Michigan.
Thats the biggest single outbreak so far.
Experts said the misconception that the flu shot makes people sick often keeps them from getting it.
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Public health experts believe now and going forward the US needs a new public health strategy that treats Covid-19 and influenza as one unified threat. We cant think that we will endure the omicron wave and then all of these problems will be behind us. This is the new reality. Responding to it adequately, along the lines some experts are calling for, would require a massive effort nothing less than a complete rethinking of how we respond to the annual winter surge in respiratory illness.
We are on the lip. We are in a transitional phase, moving from pandemic to endemic, William Schaffner, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and a Vanderbilt University professor, told me. With two of these respiratory viruses going on at pretty much the same time, I think that will create a greater stress on the health care system.
This Year’s Flu Season: Repeat Of Last Year Or A Twindemic
But, experts say, it is far too early to say if the country will have a normal â i.e., bad â flu season or a repeat of last year, when the flu all but disappeared amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This flu season is starting out more like the seasons before the pandemic. About 2% of all visits to doctors and outpatient clinics through Nov. 13 were flu or flu-like illnesses, compared to about 1.4% a year ago, the CDC says. Cases so far are being counted in the hundreds â 702 through Nov. 13.
Still, while cases are low, they are increasing, the agency says. The spread of flu is already high in New Mexico and moderate in Georgia. The rest of the country is seeing little activity, according to the CDC.
This time last year, cases of flu, hospitalizations and deaths were down dramatically, despite fears that a drastic ”twindemic” could occur if cases of COVID-19 and influenza increased greatly, and in tandem. The comparisons of last year’s flu season statistics to previous years are startling â in a good way.
In the 2019-2020 season, more 22,000 people in the U.S. died from flu last year, deaths decreased to about 700 for the 2020-2021 season.
So, what might happen this year? Will flu be a no-show once again? Several top experts say itâs complicated:
Already, Schaffner says, âwe are beginning to hear about some outbreaks.”
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How Can I Treat My Childs Flu At Home
When dealing with the flu at home, keeping your child hydrated is the most important step. The flu may cause them to lose a lot of fluids via sweat or urine, so have them drink water, juice, and broth regularly. If your child seems to be severely dehydrated as a result of the flu, ER emergency fluids may be a necessary next step. Foods like broth-based soups and crackers are great if your child has an upset stomach. Nausea and vomiting can also be symptoms of the flu, but be sure you can spot the difference between the stomach flu vs. food poisoning.
Dress your child in light pajamas, give them plenty of blankets, and keep air circulating through the room. Make sure no one else in the household comes in contact with the sick child or shares any cups, silverware, or items that the child interacted with. This will help prevent the spread of germs.
Flu Making A Comeback In Texas Amid Covid
HOUSTON, TX Last year, the influenza virus took a season off largely due to COVID-19 mitigation measures. School closures, social distancing, mask-wearing and canceled travel all contributed to an unusually mild flu season in Texas and across the country.
This year, its likely we wont get so lucky.
Influenza activity in the United States is increasing, though the amount varies by region, according to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations are rising and, so far, two pediatric deaths have been recorded, according to CDC data.
Throughout the entirety of last year’s unusually light flu season, just one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from the flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.
This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season, Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the CDC, told The Associated Press.
The childhood deaths, she added, are unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up.
It’s a sad reminder of how severe flu can be, Brammer said.
Flu activity is increasing most in eastern and central parts of the country, according to the most recent CDC data. The western part of the country, however, is reporting lower flu numbers.
For the week ending Dec. 18, flu activity was high or very high in eight states or U.S. territories. Cases were moderate in 14 states, low in 12 and minimal in 21.
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If You Need A Flu Shot Call Our Family Urgent Care Clinic Nearest You
At St. Elizabeth Urgent Care, we aim to provide you with efficient and comfortable services that ensure you get your flu shot and are protected this upcoming season. We offer two locations in Dickinson and Jersey Village, and welcome patients throughout the greater Houston, TX area. Contact our family urgent care clinic closest to you for more information or to discuss your visit.
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Evidence-based explanations of the Covid-19 pandemic, including how it started, how it might end, and how to protect yourself and others.
Even as omicron is surging, the seasonal flu is back: More than 2,500 Americans were admitted to the hospital with influenza in the last week of December. The flu hospitalization rate is still about half of the pre-Covid normal, but it is eight times higher than it was last year when one side effect of pandemic restrictions was that flu cases fell off dramatically.
This is the first glimpse of a harsh new reality that will outlast this wave of the pandemic: Flu season has transformed into Covid-and-flu season a flu-rona wave every winter.
Before the pandemic, the flu alone could sometimes push hospital systems into crisis mode, where they cancel elective procedures and limit other kinds of care. Now theres Covid-19, which has done the same thing on its own.
Suddenly conjuring more hospital capacity every winter to handle the expected surges of flu and Covid-19 is not going to happen. Thousands of additional hospital beds are not coming in the next few years, and the US would not have the doctors and nurses to staff them anyway. It will take much longer years or maybe decades to improve the gaps in Americas health care infrastructure and workforce that have been exposed during Covid-19.
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Flu Season Off To Slower Start In Michigan Us
Many states reported widespread outbreaks early in 2019-2020 season
LANSING, Mich. – Flu activity is unusually low this time of year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed lower than normal flu activity across the nation Friday. This time last year, many states were reporting widespread outbreaks.
We are not surprised by that, said Terri Adams, section manager at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Immunization.
Adams said a big reason Michigan isnt seeing much flu activity is because of the precautions people are taking to slow the spread of COVID-19.
People are washing their hands more than ever. Wearing a mask certainty helps reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses, she said.
Adams said now is not the time to let your guard down.
Historically though, Michigan peaks for influenza in February and March, so we peak later in the year, said Adams.
Its difficult to predict if we will be seeing the same weve seen previous years, said Rashmi Travis, Jackson County Health Officer.
Travis said there is some flu activity in Jackson County, although MDHHS data showed no one in Michigan tested positive for the flu so far this season.
Providers are still testing for flu, its just a lot of symptoms seem to mimic the same so COVID might be the first thing providers go to, said Travis.
Adams said even with the later flu season, its still important to get your flu shot this year.
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Symptoms Of Cedar Fever
While this creates for some fascinating imagery, it can also lead to some serious misery. For people new to the Central Texas region or unfamiliar with cedar fever as a whole, it can also lead to confusion since the pollination period of mountain cedar trees is smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season or a pandemic.
Its not uncommon for people experiencing cedar fever to mistake their symptoms as a cold or the seasonal flu, especially given the variety of symptoms triggered by cedar fever. These include fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, partial loss of smell and believe it or not some people actually do run a slight fever. However, if your fever is higher than 101.5°F, then pollen likely isnt the cause.
There are a few symptoms of cedar fever that are not linked to coronavirus or the flu though, like itchy, watery eyes, blocked nasal passages and sneezing. But there is one symptom that, according to Flocke, is a clearer indicator.
Typically, mucous from allergies is clear and runny, while other infections lead to thicker colored mucous, Flocke said.
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Is The Flu Dangerous For Pregnant People
Yes. Flu can be very dangerous for pregnant people and their babies. The changes in immune, heart and lung function during pregnancy make you more likely to get seriously ill from the flu. If you get the flu while pregnant, it also increases your chance for complications, such as premature labor and delivery, and birth defects.
Getting a flu shot during your pregnancy helps protect both you and your baby. When you get vaccinated, your body makes antibodies that are passed to your baby, which helps protect them during their first few months of life, before they are able to start getting their own annual flu vaccinations.
Flu shots have safely been given to millions of people, including pregnant people, over many years. Numerous studies show that the flu vaccine is safe and effective for pregnant people and their babies.Pregnancy experts strongly recommend that all pregnant people get a flu shot. You can safely get the flu shot during any trimester.
Click here to view/download VYFs handout Flu Vaccination During Pregnancy.Learn more about flu and other vaccines recommended during pregnancy.
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Is The Flu Vaccine Safe
Yes. Flu vaccines have been used for over 50 years and have been safely given to hundreds of millions of people, including pregnant people. Flu vaccines, like all vaccines used in the U.S., are carefully monitored for safety through the U.S. vaccine monitoring systems .
Find answers to more questions about vaccine safety.
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What Was Last Years Flu Season Like
The 2020-2021 flu season had incredibly low numbers. Between October 3, 2020 and July 24, 2021, the CDC saw only 2,136 positive flu tests out of 1.3 million specimens tested by laboratories, according to official data published by JAMA. The data show that there were 736 deaths from the flu, too. .
Last year, we had no flu, essentially, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Stop The Spread Of Germs
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs can spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you get sick, limit your contact with others. When possible, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with viruses that cause the flu
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Flu Making A Comeback After An Unusual Year Off
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.
Last years flu season was the lowest on record, likely because COVID-19 measures school closures, distancing, masks and canceled travel prevented the spread of influenza, or because the coronavirus somehow pushed aside other viruses.
This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season, said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. Its a sad reminder of how severe flu can be.
During last years unusually light flu season, one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.
In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in the nations capital, Washington, D.C., and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven. In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.
The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.