Problems With the Flu Shot

Each year, drug manufacturers produce millions of doses of influenza vaccine that can protect you from the year's version of the influenza virus. Opting for a flu shot reduces your chances of getting the flu by 70 to 90 percent if you are young and by 30 to 70 percent if you are elderly. Like any medical treatment, certain health problems may accompany a flu shot. Most side effects are very mild, but the vaccine can cause a few rare serious health outcomes.

Common Side Effects

• Some people who receive the flu shot suffer from a very mild illness for a few days. Symptoms typically include a low-grade fever and body ache. The area where the doctor gave the shot may also become inflamed. If these problems last longer than a few days then you should contact your heath care provider.

Allergies

• A small number of people experience an allergic reaction to the flu shot: typically characterized by difficulty breathing, hoarseness, hives, paleness, dizziness and weakness. If you suffer from an allergy to eggs then you should not get a flu shot, since the influenza vaccine virus develops in eggs. If you have any life-threatening allergies or ever suffered an allergic reaction to an influenza vaccine then you should talk to your physician before getting the shot.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a disorder that causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nervous system. The syndrome initially causes mild paralytic symptoms such as tingling and may eventually lead to temporary muscular paralysis. The flu vaccine can occasionally trigger Guillain-Barre Syndrome, so you should not receive a flu shot if you have ever been stricken by the disease. The syndrome occurs in approximately one out of 1,000,000 vaccinated individuals.