Flu vaccine

The flu is a respiratory infection caused by a virus. Influenza occurs most often during the winter and easily spreads from person to person. The flu season generally runs from October to May and usually peaks between December and February (Northern hemisphere). Most people who get the flu feel sick for a week or two and recover. In some people, influenza leads to more serious lung infections or to worsening of underlying conditions, such as heart failure or emphysema.

• Sudden onset of moderate to high fever
• Dry cough
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Runny nose
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches
• Tiredness

Many conditions, such as a common cold, diarrhea, and vomiting, are labeled “the flu” but are not really influenza. “Stomach flu” is a misnomer since viruses other than the flu cause such illness.

Because of the importance of taking flu medicines within 48 hours of coming down with symptoms, call immediately if you think you have the flu. If you continue to feel unwell after you have been treated for the flu, you should call your doctor’s office. If you find yourself feeling better, and then getting sick again, you should also contact your doctor. The flu might have left you with some kind of secondary illness, like a sinus infection.

Most people with influenza who are otherwise healthy do not need special drugs or treatments. If you have the flu, you should:

• Rest.
• Drink lots of fluids.
• Eat a light diet.
• Stay at home.
• Take acetaminophen (such as Tylenol®) to reduce fever and relieve muscle aches.

Note: Adults should not give aspirin to children or adolescents with fevers due to the association with Reye's syndrome, a rare disorder that causes brain and liver damage.

No, colds are caused by other viruses, not the influenza virus, and symptoms are typically much less severe than flu symptoms.

You are contagious for one day before starting to feel ill, and for 5 to 7 days while you have the flu symptoms. At the very least, you should stay at home until you are able to go 24 hours without taking something for fever. If you have other severe symptoms, such as incessant (non-stop) cough or shortness of breath, you should stay at home.

People over 65 and those with chronic (long-term) illnesses have a hard time fighting influenza because the body’s system for fighting infections is often weakened by age and illness. In older people, influenza is also more likely to lead to:

• Pneumonia.
• Hospitalization.
• Death.

Yes. If you get the flu vaccine, you are likely to be protected from the flu for the duration of the flu season. The vaccine is given as a shot or a nasal spray. You must get the vaccine every year in autumn to be protected. Sometimes the vaccine does not prevent you from getting the flu but makes the flu less severe if you do get it. The vaccine is safe, even for pregnant women. You can’t get the flu from the flu shot.

In addition, some of the antivirals (Relenza and Tamiflu) given to treat the flu can be used to help keep you from getting sick if you’ve been in close contact with someone who already has the flu.

Because the flu is so contagious, you can do other things that may help you prevent getting or spreading the flu:

• Practice good hand-washing hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If you can’t use soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid being around sick people whenever possible.
• Avoid being around other people when you do not feel well, especially when you have a fever.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Eat well, exercise, and get enough rest.

It’s recommended that everyone 6 months or older should get a yearly flu vaccine to protect yourself and other people around you. Those who have any of the following conditions are at high risk of becoming seriously ill from the flu:

• Kidney disease.
• Liver disease.
• Lung disease.
• Neurologic diseases.
• Diabetes.
• Heart problems.
• An illness that weakens the immune system, or if you are taking a medicine that weakens the immune system, thus making it hard for your body to fight illnesses.
• Blood disorders.
• Obesity.

You also have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from influenza if you:

• Are younger than 2 years, or over 65 years old.
• Are pregnant and for 2 weeks after delivery
• Are under 19 years old and must take aspirin regularly.
• Live in a nursing home.

If you work in a healthcare facility, you may transmit influenza to patients and other workers, but you are not at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill. The recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that everyone over the age of 6 months gets a flu vaccine if there are no contraindications. This includes individuals who are not at high risk.

You shouldn’t get the influenza shot if you are:

• Severely allergic to a previous dose of any influenza vaccine, regardless of the vaccine component (including eggs) suspected of being responsible for the reaction.
• Sick with a fever. (Wait until you feel better before getting a flu shot.)

There is an option to get the nasal flu vaccine (administered through your nose). The following groups of people shouldn't get the nasal flu vaccine:

• Children and adolescents who are taking aspirin or any type of salicylate-containing medication therapies.
• Children 2-4 years of age who have been diagnosed with asthma, or whose parents/caregivers can say that a healthcare provider has told them during the past 12 months that the child has had wheezing events or asthma; or a child who has a wheezing episode documented in their medical record.
• Children or adults whose immune systems are compromised for any reason, including drugs or HIV infection.
• Caregivers or close contacts of severely immunosuppressed people who need a protected environment.
• Pregnant people.
• People who have received antiviral drugs to treat the flu within the past 48 hours.

(Please remember that the above list is for people who should not receive the NASAL flu vaccine. It does not refer to the flu shot.)

The best time to get the flu vaccine is in the early autumn. It takes around 3 weeks for the vaccine to exert its protective benefits, so don’t delay receiving it.

Pregnant women should get a flu vaccine. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to an illness such as influenza. The immune system undergoes normal changes during pregnancy, which can increase the risk of complications from the flu. Pregnant women who acquire the flu are also at higher risk of pregnancy related complications, such as preterm labor, pneumonia, and serious illness requiring hospital admission.

Unlike adults, newborn babies cannot receive influenza vaccinations because it is only approved for people ages 6 months and older. Therefore, they need assistance in obtaining protective antibodies, which can be provided from their mother prior to their birth. If the mother receives a vaccine during pregnancy, the antibodies she generates will passively transfer from her to the baby, allowing the baby to be born with a blood stream full of this precious gift from mom. Without this protection, the baby is vulnerable to the influenza virus until they can receive their own flu vaccinations at 6 months.

The influenza vaccine is made from virus particles or inactivated virus that can’t transmit infection. However, it takes a week or two to develop full protection and many times a person can become sick during that short window while they’re waiting for the vaccine to take full effect. That can lead to the incorrect assumption that the vaccine caused their illness.

The vaccine reduces your odds of getting the flu from as high as one in four to one in 10 and protects you from the four influenza viruses that research indicates will be the most common during the upcoming flu season. People can still get the flu despite getting the vaccine if they’re exposed to a strain of influenza that doesn’t match at 100 percent but the severity is usually less because some immunity has been generated.

Just like the COVID virus which constantly evolves into new variants, the subtypes of the influenza virus also evolve and change into new “strains”. The H (hemagglutinin) protein and the N (neuraminidase) proteins on the surface of the influenza virus change their structure which helps them evade our immune system. Vaccines are modified every year to match the new protein structure that then teaches our immune system to recognize and target them to neutralize their ability to infect us.

There is also some waning, or lessening, of the strength of our body’s immune response over time after a vaccine. Each year’s influenza vaccine boosts that immune response and helps our immune cells remember how to fight the influenza virus.

Common side-effects of the flu vaccine include fatigue, mild fever, soreness, or runny nose. The risk of serious side-effects is about one in a million and there are medications to treat those side-effects. By comparison, you’re 100 times more likely to die in a car accident and 30 percent more likely to be struck by lightning.

While it’s true that there are some health considerations people should be aware of regarding the flu vaccine, there are vaccine products that can be safely given to almost everyone. Almost all influenza vaccines can be given to people who have allergy symptoms like hives when they eat eggs, and for those who have a serious allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis with eggs, they can talk to their doctor or pharmacist about a receiving a type of flu vaccine that contains no egg protein. And patients with weakened immune systems who shouldn’t get the intra-nasal vaccine should still receive the injectable vaccine.

• People who have an allergy to eggs or other vaccine ingredients
• People who’ve ever had Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
• People who are feeling ill

If you have any questions or concerns about receiving the vaccination, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Annual flu vaccines are covered by most health insurance plans, including Medicare Parts B and D as well as Medicaid. Please check with your insurance provider for questions about your medical benefits coverage.

Depending on your insurance and where you go, flu vaccines can vary in price. Most insurance plans will cover the flu vaccine as a preventive service, but make sure to check with your insurance and the facility you go to. For children who are on Medicaid or uninsured, make sure to go to a facility that is approved to give Vaccines For Children (VFC) vaccines. Uninsured adults can go to lower cost options such as local health departments or community health centers or check with a pharmacy which may be able to provide a self-pay discount.

Both the COVID and the Flu Vaccine can be given at the same time, but it is best to have them given in a different arm.