Are Flu Shots Bad?

There's been a lot of concern about the potential Swine Flu outbreak in 2009. But it's equally if not more important to remember to get your regular flu shot this fall. The flu (influenza) can be as dangerous as the Swine Flu, if not more so. Between 25 and 50 million people in the US are infected with the flu every year. Last year, over 36,000 people died from complications due to the flu virus.

Flu Shots Are Not Bad for You

• Fears about the risks of flu vaccination keep many people from getting this much needed vaccine each year. Some people believe that they will catch the flu from the vaccine. This cannot happen because the vaccine is made from dead strains of the flu virus that cannot infect you.

  The side effects from a flu shot may include soreness in the arm where the shot was given. Sometimes young children may experience a mild fever, fatigue and muscle aches for a day or two, but if they actually get the flu, their symptoms would be much worse.

The Influenza Virus

• The flu is an extremely contagious virus that spreads throughout the US every year from November through April, and peaks between December and March. The flu virus first attacks a person's respiratory system and can cause pneumonia. It can be dangerous for people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic lung diseases.

  The flu is usually transmitted between people when droplets of saliva spread into the air when someone with the flu sneezes. These droplets live in the air for three hours, so the flu is easily spread. You can also get the flu by touching anything that has been contaminated by someone infected by the virus.

The Flu Vaccine

• Receiving a flu shot each year will greatly reduce your chances of getting the flu. If you do get the flu, the shot will lessen the severity of your symptoms. The flu shot helps you to produce antibodies that fight off the flu virus. It is effective in up to 90 percent of healthy people under the age of 65 and reduces hospitalizations due to complications of the flu.

  The strains of the flu virus come in types A, B and C. The major difference between these strains is that type A mutates and new strains develop all the time. What this means is that we never develop a permanent immunity to the flu. Type A is the virus that causes most flu epidemics. Types B and C are not as prevalent and typically only cause minor outbreaks. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Vaccines and Related Biological Advisory Committee meets each year to decide what type of vaccine should be developed based on the flu strains that are prevalent.

Who Should Get a Flu Shot?

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the following people get a flu shot each year: anyone over the age of 50; young children who go to school or day care; both children (over the age of 6 months) and adults with chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes, kidney disease, heart conditions, blood disorders, immune deficiency and AIDS; residents in nursing homes or assisted-living centers; pregnant women (after their first trimester); children (age 6 months to 8 years) who are on aspirin therapy because they are at risk for Reye's syndrome; people taking cancer treatments or cortisone therapy; medical professionals who are in contact with people in the groups listed above; and people who want to lessen their chance of getting the flu.

If You Get the Flu

• If you get the flu, there are drugs on the market that can lessen your symptoms. Over-the-counter medicines such as cough syrups, decongestants, aspirin (do NOT give aspirin to children), ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help ease the achiness and fever. Your doctor may have you take amatadine or rimantadine, anti-viral medicines that are effective against the type A flu virus. But you must take them within two days after getting the flu for them to work.

  Flu shots are the best method for controlling the flu and decreasing the chance that it will spread to others.