What Is A Flu Vaccine
Influenza vaccines are vaccines that protect against the four influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Most flu vaccines are flu shots given with a needle, usually in the arm, but there also is a nasal spray flu vaccine.
You Have Something Physical To Do Tomorrow
Have a marathon you’re running tomorrow morning? Scheduled to host a lengthy and involved presentation at work all day? You may want to wait to get your flu shot. While it’s been proven that the flu shot won’t give you the flu, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, there are some side effects you may feel for a few days after getting the vaccine. These side effects may include:
- Redness, swelling, or pain at the flu shot injection site
- Upset stomach
- Muscle aches
In some cases, you may not feel any negative side effects after getting your flu shot. However, if you can plan your shot around a slow week, it may be best, just in case you feel a little under the weather after getting your vaccine.
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.
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Should I Get The Flu Vaccine If I’m Pregnant Or Breastfeeding
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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.
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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
How To Minimize Arm Pain After Getting The Flu Shot
These tips should help to lessen the soreness at the injection site.
Flu season is almost here, and with the added concern of the COVID-19 virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend that everyone who is 6 months old and older get the flu vaccine.
Some people may hesitate to get the flu vaccine because they believe the flu shot will give them the flu or because theyre afraid of the pain that comes with getting shots. While taking the sting out of the injection entirely may not be possible for many people, there are ways to minimize the pain both during and after the injection.
First, its important to understand why your arm hurts after the flu vaccine. The most obvious factor is that the vaccine introduces a needle into the arm muscle and injects fluid into it.
But its not just the needle thats bothersome. For some vaccine recipients, there is swelling and pain at or near the injection site for a couple of days after receiving the shot. This reaction is considered to be a good sign by doctors.
The reason why your arm specifically is sore is that your immune system is giving you a robust response to the flu vaccination,Dr. Juanita Mora told the American Lung Associations blog, Every Breath.
The good news is that you can help reduce the discomfort from the flu shot by taking a few simple actions.
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Possible Side Effects After Getting A Covid
COVID-19 vaccination helps protect people from getting severely ill with COVID-19. Side effects and adverse events could follow any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination.
Side effects:Not everyone experiences side effects. However, some people do. Side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection. Side effects may have a short-term affect on your ability to do daily activities and should go away in a few days. If you would like to report a side effect, use V-safe.
Adverse events:Adverse events are rare but could cause a long-term health problem. If an adverse event occurs, it will generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. If you would like to report an adverse event, use Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System .
- During clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration collected data on each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines for a minimum of two months after the final dose.
Is It Too Late To Get The Flu Vaccine For The 2021
The CDC recommends getting vaccinated early in the seasonideally by the end of October.
But its not too late to get a flu vaccine this year: Physicians say now is still a good time to get one. Flu cases typically rise in February and can continue into May. And since it takes about two weeks to build strong immunity post-vaccine, the sooner you get inoculated the better.
Keep in mind: Since getting a flu vaccine is not a guarantee that you wont get the flu, its important to continue to follow other public health best practices.
Everyone still needs to be mindful of things such as avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering your nose and mouth when you sneezepreferably with a tissue, so it can be discarded afterwardand using good hand hygiene, such as washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rubs, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth when possible, Lee Nguyen, Pharm.D., associate clinical professor for the department of clinical pharmacy practice at the University of California, Irvine, tells SELF.
If youre interested in getting a flu vaccine, you can get one through your primary care physician if you have one, or another health care professional, as well as through many pharmacies and public health departments. Sometimes, flu vaccination clinics are set up in workplaces or other frequently visited locations within a community.
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Side Effects And Risks
It is much safer to get the flu vaccine than to get the flu. Flu vaccines are safe and well-tolerated. Side effects are usually mild and last a few days. Common side effects include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site headache, fever, muscle aches, joint pain or feeling tired. Side effects in children include irritability, drowsiness or loss of appetite.
In rare cases, serious allergic reactions can occur. Seek medical attention if you have trouble breathing, rash or swelling of the face and throat. Allergic reactions can be treated and are usually temporary. The risk of Oculo-Respiratory Syndrome or Guillain-Barré Syndrome after flu vaccination is very low, about one case in a million flu shots.
When To See A Healthcare Provider
Severe body aches deserve the attention of your healthcare provider. Seek medical attention if:
- The aches don’t improve within three days
- There is poor circulation in the area that hurts
- You notice signs of infection, such as redness or swelling, around a muscle
Some people develop a serious complication from the flu. Call 911 or go to your local emergency room if:
- You are vomiting and also have a stiff neck and fever
- You have difficulty breathing
- You have muscle weakness or cannot move part of your body
Some people, especially children, may experience painful leg cramps with the flu. Leg cramps can be so painful that walking is difficult or accompanied by a limp. If your child complains of leg pain in the calves or refuses to walk, contact your pediatrician to see if if an evaluation is necessary.
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Its Better To Get The Flu Than The Flu Vaccine
While you can become immune to the flu after catching a live virus, natural immunity is no substitute for a vaccine. Getting the flu can cause serious complications, especially if you have asthma, heart disease, or diabetes. Even otherwise healthy people can experience flu complications, making vaccination the safer choice.
Facing your fears and clearing up misconceptions about the flu shot can help you stay illness-free this flu season. If you have additional questions about flu vaccine effectiveness, contact your local MD Now Urgent Care center for more information.
To learn more about our urgent care centers, call 888-MDNow-911 or visit www.MDNow.com.
Are Any Of The Available Flu Vaccines Recommended Over Others
Yes, for some people. For the 2022-2023 flu season, there are three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommended for people 65 years and older. These are Fluzone High-DoseQuadrivalent vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinantflu vaccine or Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine. On June 22, 2022, CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously to preferentially recommend these vaccines overstandard-dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines. This recommendation was based on a review of available studies which suggests that, in this age group, these vaccines are potentially more effective than standard dose unadjuvanted flu vaccines. There is no preferential recommendation for people younger than 65 years.
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Tips For Giving A Pain
With all the news on the rollout of Covid-19 immunizations, weve been seeing a lot of injection administrations on TV recently. Some of the videos make me cringe. How about you? I couldnt believe how many times I saw the one where the vaccine is visibly dripping down the outside of the patients arm, obviously resulting in a sub-therapeutic dose. Or a new one this week where the injector palpates the injection area with a gloved hand before giving the needle.
But who am I to be questioning injection technique? Well, I was one of the first pharmacists in Atlantic Canada to be trained to administer injections by a wonderful group of Public Health nurses using a detailed program from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. At the same time, we were trained to deliver the program to other pharmacists. Along with a team of nurses, I trained about half of the pharmacists in our province over the following years, presenting the program every few months. I also helped test the students at the end of each program, and this has made me very picky about technique!
How To Avoid A Sore Arm After Your Workplace Flu Shot
Up to 64% of adults and children who receive the flu shot experience pain and/or soreness at the site of the injection, making it the most common side effect of the vaccine. Many patients unpleasantly describe it as feeling like they were “getting punched in the arm,” and we understand that it can be a real discomfort for the one or two days it takes for the soreness to go away. Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to reduce or avoid this experience when you attend an on-site flu clinic this year!
We spoke to our Assistant Director of Nursing, Andrea Oster, for her tips and tricks for avoiding arm soreness post-shot:1.) Relax your arm when getting the shot. “It can be hard to do when you’re nervous, but do not tense up,” Andrea says. While you’re sitting, lay your hand flat on your upper leg and relax your shoulder, letting your arm hang until the nurse administers the shot.
2.) Take ibuprofen or Tylenol. A lot of the pain comes from inflammation. Taking a painkiller will do wonders in reducing swelling and assisting with the discomfort.
3.) Use your arm afterwards. “Don’t ‘baby’ it! Work out, write, type and continue your regular routines,” Andrea says. By keeping your arm in motion, you can help the circulation in the injection area return to normal more quickly. If you didn’t use your dominant arm, consider raising it up or moving it in circles to speed along the healing process.
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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 . The 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.
What Protection Does A Flu Vaccine Provide If I Do Get Sick With Flu
Some people who get vaccinated may still get sick. However, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce 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 flu patients.
- Another study in 2018 showed that a vaccinated adult who was hospitalized with flu was 59% less likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit 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.
In addition, its important to remember that flu vaccine protects against three or four different viruses and multiple viruses usually circulate during any one season. For these reasons, CDC continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older even if vaccine effectiveness against one or more viruses is reduced.
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Allergic Reactions To The Flu Vaccine
It’s very rare for anyone to have a serious allergic reaction to the flu vaccine. If this does happen, it usually happens within minutes.
The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.
Anyone can report a suspected side effect of a vaccine through the Yellow Card Scheme.
How Do Flu Vaccines Work
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Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are used to make the vaccine.
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The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Most flu vaccines in the United States protect against four different flu viruses an influenza A virus, an influenza A virus, and two influenza B viruses. There are also some flu vaccines that protect against three different flu viruses an influenza A virus, an influenza A virus, and one influenza B virus. Two of the trivalent vaccines are designed specifically for people 65 and older to create a stronger immune response.
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What To Know About Getting A Flu Shot This Year
Doctors stress that any soreness from the flu shot should be minimal and last only a day or two.
Overall, the flu shot shouldn’t hurt all that much and getting the flu will always be worse than a little bit of soreness.
Experts say that it’s especially important to get the flu vaccine this year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to help rule out the influenza as a possibility in the event a patient gets sick, and also to keep hospitals clear in case coronavirus cases spike.
“This season more than ever, eliminating all possibilities for illness is that much more important,” Deutsch said.
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.
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Things You Can Do For You And Your Baby
Learn about simple ways you can support your child before, during and after shots.
Take a moment to read abouthow you can prepare before your visit, and review any vaccine information provided by your childs doctor. If you want to do additional research, use CDCs vaccines for parents web site.
Tasting something sweet can help reduce your little ones pain response. If your child is two years of age or younger, ask your childs doctor to give your child a sweet solution of sucrose or glucose one to two minutes before the shot. Even a very small amount can help reduce pain during shots.
Breastfeeding can be a great way to calm and relax your baby, as it can help distract him or her and provide comforting close contact. Additionally, breastmilk has a slight sweetness, which can help reduce your childs pain during shots.
Ask your childs doctor for a pain-relieving ointment, which blocks pain signals from the skin. Because the ointment takes time to work, ask about it before your next well-child visit. Or, request a cooling spray , which is applied on your childs arm or leg right before the shot. Using an ointment or cooling spray may reduce your and your childs stress during a well-check visit.
Bring anything your child finds comforting, like a favorite toy, blanket, or book, to help them focus on something pleasant. Make sure to check with your doctor before bringing items into the room with you.