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The seasonal flu scene is a yearly vaccine administered to protect against the grippe , orinfluenza . In the United States , flu shots are recommended for everyone age 6 months and older , allot to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC ) .
The grippe can be a very serious illness , especially in immature children , grownup ages 65 and over , those with underlying wellness conditions and pregnant woman . The flu shot is the best manner to protect yourself and your kinsperson from the grippe , according to the CDC .
strain of the fluvirusare constantly changing , so a new flu vaccine is made each year . Scientists make the vaccinum before the flu time of year depart by auspicate which flu strains are likely to be the most common during the upcoming season .
" Since the flu computer virus frequently rove in its genetic composing , you have to reformulate the vaccine , and this is one of the reasons that people have to [ get a flu shot ] on an annual basis , " Dr. William Schaffner , a preventive medicinal drug and infective disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee told Live Science .
When should you get a flu shot?
Exactly when the flu season get and ends is irregular , so wellness officials commend that people get their flu shooting in early dusk , ideally by the ending of October , according to the CDC . Flu activity typically tip in February .
" We ’d like to get as many masses protected against grippe before flu becomes combat-ready in communities across the nation , " Schaffner say .
Most flu vaccines are given before Thanksgiving , Schaffner said , but people can still get their scene throughout the wintertime months . Each time of year ’s flu shaft expires in June of that twelvemonth , but Schaffner said he would consider it " too late " to get a flu vaccinum after March , unless a person is traveling to the Southern Hemisphere ( where the influenza season will then be starting ) .
After vaccination , it takes a person about two weeks to build upimmunityagainst the grippe .
People can impose the CDC’sVaccines.govwebsite to find influenza shot fix .
Who should NOT get a flu vaccine?
fry younger than 6 month can not get a flu shaft . Those who have had a hard allergic chemical reaction to a grippe vaccine in the past should not get that type of influenza shoot again , and they should verbalise with their health tutelage provider about whether they can receive another type of flu shot , according to the CDC .
likewise , citizenry who have had a life sentence - threatening reaction to flu - vaccinum ingredient besides orchis protein should n’t get flu vaccine with those ingredients , and they should verbalize with their health tending provider about whether there is a flu vaccine that ’s good for them , the CDC says . These other fixings might include gelatin or antibiotic drug , which are added to some grippe shot to preclude bacterial taint during manufacturing . ( Not all flu shots contain antibiotics . )
the great unwashed with egg allergies can still receive any eccentric of flu shot that ’s recommended for their age radical , even if the flu shot is made with orchis - based engineering ( and thus contain a small amount of egg protein),according to the CDC . Studies have establish that people with egg allergies are very unlikely to know a severe reaction to flu vaccines . People who ’ve had a severe sensitised reaction to ballock should get their grippe jibe under the superintendence of a wellness attention provider who can treat severe allergic reaction , the CDC state . In add-on , several types of flu shots are bollock - free , including recombinant flu vaccines and cell - based flu vaccine .
People with a history ofGuillain - Barré syndrome(GBS ) , a rare , acute autoimmune disease that can cause paralysis , should talk with their Dr. about whether they can get a grippe vaccine . Some people with this condition can not get a flu shot , according to the CDC . The cause of GBS is not do it , but it is often linked with infection with viruses or bacteria ; and in very rarified case , the consideration has been linked with flu vaccination .
If you ’re not feeling well , you should babble to your doctor before getting a flu shot while you have symptoms . You should not get the grippe vaccine if you have a high feverishness ; you should wait until the febrility is gone , according to Schaffner . However , if you have a underage unwellness , like a mild cold or a vexation , you may still be able to get a grippe shooting .
Flu shot side effects
According to the CDC , mild side effects from the flu shot include irritation , inflammation or swelling at the shot site ; low - grade feverishness ; and ache . Only about 1 % to 2 % of people who get a flu shot will have fever as a side effect , Schaffner said . These mild effects should go away within a few mean solar day .
uncommon but serious side issue can occur , let in hypersensitive reactions . symptom of serious side effects admit difficulty breathing , swelling around the eyes or lip , hives , racing nerve , dizziness and high fever , grant to the CDC . If you go through serious side issue , you should seek medical care immediately . In improver , it ’s important to enquire your wellness attention provider to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reporteither onlineor by call VAERS at 1 - 800 - 822 - 7967 , the CDC suppose .
The flu nasal spray vaccine , which is approved for tidy , non - significant people ages 2 to 49 , can cause a more or less unlike circle of side effects compare with other types of influenza snap . For children , side effects of the flu nasal atomiser can include runny nozzle , wheezing , headache , vomiting , muscle aches and febrility . For adults , side outcome from the nasal spray might admit runny nozzle , headache , raw throat and cough . These side effect last a short time compare with the genuine grippe illness , the CDC says .
How effective is the flu vaccine?
The effectualness of the seasonal flu vaccinum reckon upon several agent , including how well the flu try in the vaccinum match the strains in circulation . Some studies show that when the strains in the vaccinum are a good match with the single that are circulating , immunized individuals are 40 % to 60 % less likely to confab the doctor for influenza illness than people who are n’t vaccinated , according to the CDC .
Flu vaccine effectiveness can also alter depending on the eld and health position of the person being vaccinated . For example , older adults may have a weaker resistant reception to the H3N2 component of the flu vaccine ( the component part that protects against the H3N2 flu strain ) , concord to the CDC .
Benefits of the flu vaccine
But even though flu vaccine do n’t offer 100 % protection against illness , there are numerous benefit to vaccination . For case , several studies have found that individuals who do get sick with the flu develop less - severe symptoms if they are vaccinated . A 2021 field published in the journalVaccinethat reviewed data point from multiple grippe season establish that , among adults who were hospitalized with the flu , those who were immunize were 26 % less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit ( ICU ) , and 31 % less likely to die from flu , compared with those who were unvaccinated , fit in to the CDC . And harmonize to a 2018 subject area , among grownup take to the ICU for flu between 2012 and 2015 , vaccinated patients spend four fewer days in the infirmary , on average , than those who were not vaccinated .
relate : Why is the influenza shot less efficacious than other vaccinum ?
What kinds of flu shots are there?
grippe shots known as " quadrivalent vaccines " protect against four strains of grippe computer virus . These include two flu A strain H1N1 and H3N2 — and two grippe B-complex vitamin melodic phrase — the line of descent B / Yamagata and B / Victoria . All flu shot for the 2022 - 2023 flu season are quadrivalent , according to the CDC .
In addition to the stock - dose flu vaccinum give through a needle , influenza shots are available in several other manakin . These include a high - Cupid’s disease version for people ages 65 and sr. ; an " adjuvanted " version that contains an constituent that help boost the immune response to the vaccine for ages 65 and former ; a " jail cell - based " version that ’s originate in animalcellsrather than in hens ' eggs and is O.K. for people ages 6 month and older ; a " recombinant " vaccine that does not use the full grippe virus or chicken eggs in the output process and is approve for mass ages 18 and old ; and a nasal consonant spraying , which is O.K. for healthy people ages 2 to 49 but not for fraught woman or those with undermine immune systems .
There is also a needle - destitute influenza shot , delivered by a so - called spirt injector , which uses a mellow - pressure stream of fluid to shoot the vaccine , the CDC say . It is approved for adult age 18 to 64 .
get in the 2022 - 2023 flu time of year , the CDC recommends that people ages 65 and onetime sooner get vaccinated with one of the three following flu vaccines : the high - dose influenza vaccinum , predict Fluzone High - Dose Quadrivalent vaccine ; the adjuvanted flu vaccine , called Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine ; or the recombinant flu vaccine , called the Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine . This recommendation was made because recent study suggest that these vaccinum are potentially more effective for older adults compared with other versions of the flu shot , according to the CDC . Among these three vaccines , the CDC does not advocate one over the other , as they were all connect with increased protection for older adult . But if the recommended pellet are n’t available , older grownup should n’t wait to get vaccinated and should receive a standard - battery-acid version of the shot instead .
What’s in this year’s flu vaccines?
The paper of the 2022 - 2023 influenza shot is unlike from last season ’s flu shot . Specifically , one influenza A component of the flu shot ( H3N2 ) and one flu B component of the guessing ( Victoria lineage ) were updated for the 2022 - 2023 time of year .
According to the CDC , the 2022 - 2023 quadrivalent egg - based flu shot contains the follow melody of the flu computer virus :
Then , there are the two types of flu vaccines that do n’t ask eggs : cadre - based and recombinant - base grippe vaccines . In cell - based flu vaccines , the inactivated flu virus is mature in cultured cells from mammals rather than in hen ' eggs . Recombinant flu vaccine are created synthetically : To make this type of vaccine , scientists combine a lab - made antigen specific to the influenza virus with a baculovirus ( this type infects only invertebrates , not humans ) .
For the 2022 - 2023 season , these two types of flu vaccine contain the same components as the egg - establish vaccinum except the H1N1 component , which in the cell- or recombinant - found flu vaccines will be A / Wisconsin/588/2019 ( H1N1 ) pdm09 - like virus , according to the CDC .
What’s flu activity like this season?
As of mid - September , flu activity in most of the U.S. was down in the mouth or minimum . But activity is already increasing in Texas , New Mexico and Georgia , which are currently report restrained levels of flu bodily function , and the District of Columbia , which is reporting high flu activity , according to the CDC .
Even if flu activity is presently low in your community , you should n’t wait to get your grippe nip . Flu activeness could begin to increase at any sentence , and it contain hoi polloi about two weeks after receiving their shooter to developantibodiesagainst grippe virus , the CDC say .
Some health experts are warning that grippe season could be forged this year , base on what was see in the Southern Hemisphere , which experiences its flu season during the summertime month .
" I do think it ’s going to be a worse year [ for flu ] than we ’ve seen in the last few year , " Dr. Bessey Geevarghese , a paediatric infective disease doc at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Illinois , toldThe New York Times . The remainder of most COVID-19 restrictions has unfold the room access for the return of grippe . What ’s more , people are likely more susceptible to influenza this class because they ’ve had less photo to the computer virus over the past two year during thepandemic , Geevarghese told the Times .
Flu shot and COVID-19: Your questions answered
How do I be intimate if I have the flu or COVID-19 ?
symptom of COVID-19and the flu can be exchangeable , but your doctor can rate a test to determine if you have COVID-19 or the flu . There are even tests that check for both flu viruses and SARS - CoV-2 , the computer virus that make COVID-19 , at the same metre .
Should I get a flu dead reckoning during the COVID-19 pandemic ?
Yes , catch a grippe shot every year is the best room to protect yourself and others from the flu . you’re able to take precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19 while getting a flu shot , such as getting vaccinated against thecoronavirusand wearing a masque .
Will a flu vaccine protect against COVID-19 ?
No , flu shot do not protect against SARS - CoV-2 . ( disjoined vaccines against SARS - CoV-2 have been approved or authorize for emergency usance in the U.S. ) But influenza crack do protect against strains of seasonal influenza viruses and can reduce your risk of get down sick from the flu , as well as the peril of hospitalisation and last from flu , harmonise to the CDC .
Can I get a COVID-19 shoot and grippe shot at the same time ?
Yes , people can get a flu vaccinum and a COVID-19 vaccine — including the new COVID-19 bivalent booster dig — at the same clock time , concord to the CDC . People tend to experience a standardized set of side effect , and obtain the same auspices from disease , whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines , according to the CDC . However , people may be slightly more probable to get systemic side force , such as fatigue and brawniness aches , if they take in both shots at the same sentence . A study published July 15 , 2022 , in the journalJAMAfound that people who got a flu shot and a COVID-19 booster shoot at the same time were 8 % to 11 % more potential to have systemic side effects , liken with hoi polloi who welcome just a COVID-19 booster shot . But these side effects tended to be balmy and solve quickly , according to the CDC .
If you have n’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 , you should get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself from the disease andstay up to date with COVID-19 booster shots , and you should direct to get a influenza shot by the end of October .
Myth #1: You get the flu from the flu shot.
" It ’s a myth that you may get flu from the flu vaccine , " Schaffner say .
The viruses in the influenza shot are killed , so citizenry can not get the grippe from a flu vaccine . However , because it read about two week for people to build up immunity after they get the flu vaccinum , some hoi polloi may catch the grippe shortly after they ’ve been inoculate if they are exposed to the flu during this clip period . Some masses may also mistakenly assign symptom of a cold to the vaccine , Schaffner said .
The nasal spray vaccine contains a " live attenuate " grippe virus , but the computer virus is sabotage so that it can not make the flu . The virus in the nasal spray ca n’t replicate in the warm temperature of the lungs and other parts in the soundbox . However , because temperature in the nose are colder , the computer virus get a small infection in the nose . This infection does not cause symptoms in most people , but in some masses , it causes symptoms such as fluid nose and painful pharynx , Schaffner said . These symptoms are typically curtly - lived , the CDC aver .
This local infection will prompt the eubstance to make antibody against the flu virus , Schaffner state . " That provides better protection against the real flu , which is , of course of study , a computer virus that can make you gravely ill , " Schaffner said .
Myth #2: The flu vaccine isn’t safe for pregnant women.
Studies show grippe vaccinum are good for women in any leg of pregnancy , the CDC says . There are several reasons why it ’s significant for pregnant cleaning lady to get a flu shot , Schaffner said .
" fraught woman , when they get grippe , have a trend to get a more severe disease " and are at increased risk for complications and hospitalisation from the disease , Schaffner pronounce .
In plus , flu vaccination in pregnancy helps to protect the child against flu during the first six months of biography , when the babe is too young to receive a flu gibe , Schaffner said . The mother " conk that protection on to her newborn baby , " Schaffner said .
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Myth #3: Antibiotics can fight the flu if you get it.
Antibiotics only killbacteria , but the influenza is triggered by a virus . Therefore , antibiotics do not help people regain from the flu .
There are antiviral drugs that can fight flu infections , but they ’ve only been designate to work when they ’re given within 48 hours of the start of symptoms . " Most people , by the clip they go to the Doctor of the Church , they ’re past the 48 - time of day scrape , " said Dr. Dennis Cunningham , system medical director of contagion prevention at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit .
For patients hospitalized with stark flu , the drug may help , he say . But they are n’t a cure , and for most people who are n’t hospitalized , these drug may only turn off down on the duration of the flu by a mean solar day or two .
Myth #4: You don’t need to get the flu vaccine every year.
There are two reasons Doctor recommend that people get the flu vaccine every year , Cunningham tell Live Science .
For one , the nervous strain of the influenza computer virus that are circulating change from class to twelvemonth . " It ’s like the uncouth frigidness — there ’s more than one character of computer virus that causes the flu , " and , in fact , there are 100 of influenza virus , he say . Each year , wellness official describe the virus extend that are the most probable to stimulate illness during the forthcoming influenza time of year , according to the CDC .
Second , the immunity you produce after get the dead reckoning wanes by the following year . " If you get your shot in August , you ’ll be safe through March , but those antibody wo n’t be for the next influenza season , " Cunningham said .
Myth #5: It contains thimerosal, which may be harmful.
Thimerosal , a preservative that contains quicksilver , has never been depict to be harmful , Cunningham said . The character of mercury tie with nervous system terms is prognosticate methyl group mercury , he pronounce . Concerns over levels of methyl group mercury have lead to recommendations that meaning women fend off feed large amounts of sealed types of fish , such as swordfish .
In contrast , thimerosal is an ethyl mercury chemical compound that has antimicrobic properties . Still , because the preservative raised contention , especially over a now - disproven radio link to autism , it was taken out of almost all U.S. vaccinum set forth in 2001 , Cunningham said .
The injectable form of the flu vaccinum is available to health upkeep providers as large , multidose bottles and small vials convey case-by-case doses . A tiny amount of thimerosal is added to the multidose bottles to ensure that no bacterium will rise in the vaccinum , Cunningham say . The item-by-item - dose bottles contain no thimerosal .
The nasal spray frame of the flu vaccinum also incorporate no thimerosal , he noted .
Myth #6: The flu isn’t serious.
" The flu is for sure a very serious disease , " Cunningham said .
Every twelvemonth , between 15 million and 60 million cases of the influenza are reported in the U.S. , Cunningham say . More than 200,000 multitude with the grippe are admit to hospital yearly , and between 3,000 and 50,000 hoi polloi in the U.S. dice of the flu annually . During the 2019 - 2020 flu season ( the last flu season with data point available before the COVID-19 pandemic ) , the CDC estimate that 38 million Americans were infected with the flu and 22,000 people died from it .
One reason people may not comprehend the influenza as being serious is that eccentric of the " stomach grippe " are false for grippe virus contagion . " truthful influenza is an infection of the lungs and respiratory piece of ground , " Cunningham said . septic hoi polloi may develop a in high spirits feverishness , physical structure aches and nasal congestion , he aver .
People with the stomach grippe — which is commonly due to a type of virus call a norovirus — have diarrhea , cramping and other GI symptoms . Influenza does not typically cause such symptom .
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to extend aesculapian advice .
in the first place published on Live Science .
