Who Should Have The Flu Vaccination
Some cancer treatments lower immunity and lower your resistance to flu. These include:
- removal of the spleen
After cancer treatment, your resistance to infection might be low for some months or years.
Your GP or cancer specialist will usually recommend that you have the flu vaccine if one of these apply to you. Depending on your situation, they may suggest that you continue with regular flu vaccines once your treatment has finished. But do check with them and ask when it is best to have it.
Flumist Vs A Flu Shot
Science Photo Library – IAN HOOTON / Brand X Pictures / Getty Images
Every child should have an annual flu shot to keep them safe during flu season. However, despite the fact that flu vaccination helps kids avoid getting sick, not all eligible kids get a flu vaccine.
One reason is vaccine hesitancy, which is often rooted in misconceptions about the importance or safety of this immunization for children. Another is that most kids don’t like to get a flu shotor any shot, which can make for an unpleasant doctor visit.
Of course, the health of your child is worth them enduring a flu shot. However, a shot is not the only way to get vaccinated against the flu. The FluMist nasal spray flu vaccine is another effective option, providing protection without any ouch.
Both the traditional flu shot and FluMist offer robust protection against getting sick and spreading the flu to loved onesand the larger community. Here’s what you need to know about the flu shot and FluMist to help you decide which one is best for your child.
What Should I Do If I Have Had A Serious Reaction To Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when you got the flu shot.
Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System form, or call VAERS at 1-800-822-7967. Reports are welcome from all concerned individuals: patients, parents, health care providers, pharmacists and vaccine manufacturers.
Read Also: Is There Such Thing As A 24 Hour Flu
How Effective Is The Flu Shot
The vaccine formulation changes every year to try to match the influenza viruses that are spreading in our communities. The vaccine is more effective when it has a good match. Even if a flu vaccine was not well-matched, it is still beneficial to get vaccinated. If you do get the flu after vaccination, influenza illness may be less severe than if you had not been vaccinated. Getting vaccinated also helps to protect your community by promoting herd immunity.
How well the vaccine works varies from year to year. Overall, receiving the flu vaccine usually reduces the risk of getting the flu by between 40% and 60% among most people when the vaccine is well-matched with the isolated virus. Some people respond better than others to the flu vaccine and build stronger immunity. People that are older than 65 years typically build weaker immune responses to the influenza vaccine, which is why there are special flu vaccines made especially for seniors.
How Do I Know If I Have Flu Or Covid
Flu and COVID-19 can present with similar symptoms and the only way to be sure that you dont have COVID-19 is to get tested by following the advice on the NHS website.
Encouraging people to take up the offer of the flu vaccine, will also have the added benefit of reducing the circulation of the flu virus and the likelihood of patients presenting with symptoms that could be due to either flu or COVID.
As background:
The most common symptoms of flu are fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are a high fever, a new, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Don’t Miss: Flu Shot For Pregnant Women
Does The Nasal Vaccine/spray Contain Gelatine
Yes, the nasal vaccine contains a highly processed form of gelatine , which is used in a range of essential medicines. The gelatine helps to keep the vaccine viruses stable so that the vaccine provides the best protection against flu. The nasal vaccine is offered to children, as it is more effective in the programme than the injected vaccine. This is because it is easier to administer and considered better at reducing the spread of flu to others, who may be more vulnerable to the complications of flu. However, if your child is at high risk from flu due to one or more medical conditions or treatments and cant have the nasal flu vaccine, they should have the flu vaccine by injection. Some people may not accept the use of porcine gelatine in medical products. This year, the NHS will offer the non-porcine injection to children who cannot consume porcine to make the vaccine more accessible. You should discuss your options with your nurse or doctor.
How Does Cdc Estimate The Burden Of Seasonal Flu On The United States
The burden of influenza on the United States can vary widely from season to season and is determined by a number of factors including the characteristics of circulating viruses, the timing of the season, population immunity to circulating viruses, how well flu vaccines are working, and how many people have gotten vaccinated. While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States each year.
CDC uses a model to estimate the numbers of influenza illnesses, medical visits, and hospitalizations in the United States . The same model is also extended to estimate flu-related deaths in the United States. This methodology has been used to retroactively calculate influenza burden, including deaths, going back to 2010.
Starting with the 2018-2019 flu season, CDC will report cumulative, in-season estimates of the burden of influenza. These Preliminary In-Season Burden Estimates will be updated weekly over the course of the flu season.
How does CDC classify flu season severity?
In 2017, CDC adopted and outlined a new methodology for determining flu season severity. Based on data from past flu seasons, CDC researchers used key flu indicator data to develop intensity thresholds to classify the severity of flu seasons.
What is flu forecasting?
Recommended Reading: When Do I Need A Flu Shot
Is The Flu Vaccination Safe
The flu vaccination is safe and effective and must be given annually. It cannot give you the flu. It does not protect you from COVID-19 or seasonal coughs and colds, but it does give protection against the strains of flu virus that will be circulating this year. Adults usually receive the flu vaccination in injection form, and children usually receive a nasal spray.
What Happens If I Overdose
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.
An overdose of Flonase is not expected to produce life threatening symptoms. Long term use of steroid medicine can lead to glaucoma, cataracts, thinning skin, easy bruising, changes in body fat , increased acne or facial hair, menstrual problems, impotence, or loss of interest in sex.
Recommended Reading: What To Do After Getting A Flu Shot
Why Is The Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Still Offered In Canada
As healthcare providers, we know that the best protection against the influenza virus is to get the flu shot. For children, there are two options for influenza vaccination: the intranasal live attenuated vaccine or the inactivated vaccine .
However, deciding which method to use in children has recently become more confusing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. announced that, based on the data they had collected, the nasal spray was not effective last flu season. As a result, many parents have been asking their healthcare providers whether they should be giving the nasal spray flu vaccine to their children.
So, why are we still offering the nasal spray flu vaccine in Canada? And how should we respond when parents inevitably ask why we arent following the U.S.s lead in only offering the needle this year?
Flu strains change
First, its important to mention that researchers continue looking at vaccine effectiveness every year, and that the findings from Canadian data are different from the U.S. Using data from previous flu seasons, researchers work hard to predict which flu strain will be most prominent during the next flu season, months in advance. This means there may be year-to-year variation in how well the vaccine and circulating flu virus strains match. Still, significant protection against getting the flu is provided even during years where the vaccine isnt a perfect match.
Differences in data
What should parents do?
How Should I Use Flonase Nasal Spray
Use Flonase exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets.
Do not share this medicine with another person, even if they have the same symptoms you have.
Your dose will depend on the fluticasone brand or strength you use, and your dose may change once your symptoms improve. Follow all dosing instructions very carefully.
A child using the nasal spray should be supervised by an adult.
Read and carefully follow any Instructions for Use provided with your medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you do not understand these instructions.
Shake the nasal spray just before each use.
If you switched to fluticasone from another steroid medicine, you should not stop using it suddenly. Follow your doctor’s instructions about tapering your dose.
It may take several days before your symptoms improve. Keep using the medication as directed and tell your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after a week of treatment.
Store Flonase in an upright position at room temperature, away from moisture and heat. Throw the spray bottle away after you have used 120 sprays, even if there is still medicine left in the bottle.
Also Check: Flu Shot Side Effects In Kids
Why Do We Need The Flu Vaccine Every Year
Children need one dose of the vaccine every year. The exception is children who are in a clinical risk group, have not had a flu vaccine before and are under 9 years of age. These children need two doses of vaccine at least 4 weeks apart. Bristol Children’s Vaccine Centre has a short video showing how the nasal flu vaccine is given.
Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record. They are the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus which can cause severe illness and deaths each year among at-risk groups. It is important to have a flu vaccine every year because the flu virus is very variable and changes over time. Each year there are different strains around, and a new vaccine has to be prepared to deal with them. Vaccination from previous years is not likely to protect people against current strains of flu.
Each years flu vaccine is made to give the best protection against the strains of flu that are expected to circulate in the coming season. The inactivated trivalent vaccine protects against three of the flu virus strains and the inactivated quadrivalent vaccine protects against four of the flu strains which are most likely to be around. The nasal flu vaccine is a quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against four flu virus strains.
Can You Get The Flu From The Flu Shot
No, you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccines. Flu vaccines given with a needle are made with either inactivated viruses or with only a single protein from the flu virus. The nasal spray vaccine contains live viruses that are weakened so that they will not cause illness.
While some people may experience a low-grade fever or body aches as a side effect, that does not mean the vaccine gave them the flu. For example, if you got sick with the flu shortly after receiving a flu vaccine, it means you were exposed to the flu before your body had the chance to fully develop the antibodies needed. It takes about two weeks after receiving the vaccine before you’re protected against the influenza virus.
Also Check: When Does Flu Season Start In Georgia
Can Teachers Have The Vaccine
Not as part of this programme. The nasal flu vaccine is not licensed for adults. Some schools, however, may choose to provide an injectable vaccine for their teachers through the schools occupational health services.
Staff with certain medical conditions that put them at risk from flu, or who are pregnant, are entitled to free flu vaccination through the NHS. Eligible staff should contact their GP surgery or pharmacy.
Is It Safe To Attend Appointments At Health Clinics
The NHS is doing everything it can to make sure that vaccinations are given in safe environments. All possible precautions will be taken to make sure you, and staff, are protected. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not attend your vaccination appointment but instead self-isolate and book a coronavirus test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling119. You can rebook your flu vaccination appointment at a later date.
You May Like: Flu Like Symptoms Before Labor
Fluenz Tetra Nasal Spray Suspension Influenza Vaccine
This information is intended for use by health professionals
Fluenz Tetra nasal spray suspension
Influenza vaccine
Reassortant influenza virus* of the following four strains**:
|
A/Victoria/2570/2019 pdm09 – like strain |
* propagated in fertilised hens’ eggs from healthy chicken flocks.
** produced in VERO cells by reverse genetic technology. This product contains genetically modified organisms .
*** fluorescent focus units.
This vaccine complies with the WHO recommendation and EU decision for the 2022/2023 season.
The vaccine may contain residues of the following substances: egg proteins and gentamicin. The maximum amount of ovalbumin is less than 0.024 micrograms per 0.2 ml dose .
For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
Nasal spray, suspension
The suspension is colourless to pale yellow, clear to opalescent with a pH of approximately 7.2. Small white particles may be present.
Prophylaxis of influenza in children and adolescents from 24 months to less than 18 years of age.
The use of Fluenz Tetra should be based on official recommendations.
Posology
Immunisation must be carried out by nasal administration.
Do not inject Fluenz Tetra.
Fluenz Tetra is administered as a divided dose in both nostrils. After administering half of the dose in one nostril, administer the other half of the dose in the other nostril immediately or shortly thereafter. The patient can breathe normally while the vaccine is being administered there is no need to actively inhale or sniff.
What Vaccines Are Recommended For People 6 Months To 64 Years Of Age
- Children 6-23 months of age will be given the FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT vaccine.
- Children and teens 2-17 years of age will be given the FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT or the FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT vaccine .
- People 18-64 years of age will be given the FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT vaccine. People in this age group with severe needle phobia who are unwilling to get an influenza vaccine given by injection may be given the FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT vaccine. However, it is important to note that the FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT vaccine provides better protection against influenza than the FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT vaccine for this age group.
You May Like: Does Medicare Cover The High Dose Flu Vaccine
If I Get Flu Can I Still Get Covid
Yes. The infections are caused by different viruses. So just because you get one, doesnt mean you cant get the other. And there have been cases of people getting both at the same time. New research from PHE suggests that co-infection of both flu and COVID-19 is associated with a greater risk of more severe illness and death.
What Is Herd Immunity
Another term for herd immunity is community immunity. When enough people in a community are vaccinated against a particular virus, the virus won’t be able to easily spread. Some people can’t get vaccinated, and others are vaccinated but don’t have strong immune responses. These people are especially vulnerable and rely on herd immunity for protection against diseases. Every time you get vaccinated you are protecting yourself, your family and your community.
You May Like: Are You Supposed To Get The Flu Shot Every Year
Is The Nasal Spray Vaccine As Effective As The Flu Shot
There are several different types of flu vaccines. Many of them are given as an injection. These vaccines contain inactivated flu virus or only single viral proteins.
The nasal spray vaccine is a flu vaccine thats sprayed into your nose. Its made up of virus thats been weakened so it cant establish an infection. Its known as FluMist or the live-attenuated influenza vaccine .
In previous years, the nasal spray vaccine wasnt recommended. The reason for this was because it had less effectiveness in children against certain types of influenza viruses.
However, there have been recent improvements in the manufacturing of this vaccine and some data indicates that the effectiveness of the nasal spray vaccine is now similar to that of the flu shot.
Because of this, the nasal spray vaccine has been recommended since the 20182019 flu season. In fact, the
Previously, we discussed that the effectiveness of the flu vaccine can vary from year to year. Lets take a deeper dive into why this is the case.
Will The Flu Vaccine Protect Me Against Covid
The flu vaccine wont protect you against COVID-19. But it will help protect you against flu, which is an unpleasant and potentially serious infection that can cause complications leading to hospital admission, permanent disability or death. Helping to protect against flu is particularly important if COVID-19 is still circulating because people vulnerable to COVID-19 are also at risk of complications from flu.
New research from PHE also suggests that co-infection with both flu and COVID-19 is associated with a greater risk of more severe illness and death.
Also Check: When Can You Get The Flu Shot