Flu Vaccine Facts

by Dr. Jill Green

There are a lot of misconceptions tossed around about the flu vaccine, so it's time for some myth-busting facts from a Primary Care Doctor. Here are some quick flu vaccine facts for you:

1. The flu vaccine is effective. It is not intended to prevent flu. It is intended to lessen the severity of illness, shorten the duration of illness, lower the complication rate, and prevent death from flu and its complications. Every year I hear that the vaccine “is not very effective” because so many people are getting the flu. Or people say that the vaccine “is only 10% effective.” This statistic references the vaccine's ability to completely prevent infection if you are exposed to flu. In about 10% of people, it will completely prevent infection. In the vast majority, it will not - but that is also not its purpose. The main purpose of the vaccine is to lessen duration and severity and prevent death.

   
   

2. Flu is generally influenza A or B. Most seasons, about 90% of cases are influenza A. Both A and B types are in the flu shots (as well as the subtypes of A and B).

   
   

3. Most flu deaths are in unvaccinated individuals. Getting the vaccine prepares your immune system to recognize the flu or its variations (there are many flu subtypes of A and B) and start an immune response. This shortens the duration and severity of the illness and prevents death. There are still flu deaths in vaccinated individuals, but it is less common.

   
   

4. While everyone should get the flu vaccine, for these groups of people it is especially important:

   
   

   -infants 6 months and older

   -toddlers

   -children

   -adolescents

   -people with lung disease (asthma, COPD, emphysema)

   -people with chronic illnesses like diabetes

   -people who are immune suppressed

   -anyone taking chronic prednisone or other immunosuppressive drugs

   -pregnant women at any gestational age

   -the elderly

   
   

   These groups are especially vulnerable to flu complications and flu death.

   
   

   The following people should also get the flu vaccine: any person who works with, volunteers with, or lives with someone in the list above. Be a Good Samaritan.

   
   

5. Tamiflu is indicated for prophylaxis (i.e. the prevention of worsened in symptoms) in flu cases for high risk groups within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. It is not recommended for the general public or healthy adults.

   
   

6. March is not too late to get a flu vaccine for the season. Flu season goes well into April. It does take about 2 weeks post-vaccination to have antibodies to provide protection. So plan ahead for that.

   
   

7. Getting the flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. It’s not a live vaccine. You can get flu-like symptoms after getting the vaccine, but it is not the flu. What's happening when you experience symptoms is that you are having an immune response to the vaccine for 24-48 hours that feels like a mild flu. You also can, of course, get the real flu within two weeks of getting the vaccne since you have not built immunity for at least 2 weeks after vaccination. In other words, you can have unfortunate timing if exposed to the flu after being vaccinated but before building up immunity.

   
   

8. Even people with allergies to egg - even anaphylactic allergies to egg - can get the flu vaccine. Yes, this has been studied. Talk to your allergist if you fall into this category.

   
   

9. There can be serious flu vaccine complications, namely GBS (Guillian Barre Syndrome). This is a rare complication - about one in a million. I myself have been on the wrong side of that one in a million, and I can tell you that if you are the one, it is life-changing. From a more positive perspective, a few times a year someone manages to pick the winning lottery numbers, so it’s not always a bad thing to be the one in a million.

*** disclaimer: This post is intended to clear up misconceptions, not open debates based on what happened to your best friend’s sister’s cousin 10 years ago when they got the flu vaccine… or didn’t get it. Stay healthy this season everyone and be kind to one another!