Flu shot: Your very best wager for steering clear of influenza

Getting a flu shot frequently guards you from coming down with the flu. And even though the flu shot will not usually give overall defense, it really is worthy of receiving.

By Mayo Clinic Employees

This year’s annual flu shot will supply defense in opposition to a few or 4 of the influenza viruses predicted to be in circulation this flu season. A large-dose flu vaccine as perfectly as an further vaccine also will be offered for grownups age sixty five and more mature.

Influenza is a respiratory an infection that can cause critical issues, specifically in young young children, more mature grownups and people today with selected clinical problems. Getting an influenza vaccine — even though not 100% successful — is the very best way to reduce the misery of the flu and its issues. The Centers for Sickness Management and Avoidance (CDC) endorses annual flu vaccination for every person age 6 months or more mature.

Here are the responses to frequent inquiries about flu shots:

When is the flu vaccine offered?

Personal manufacturers make the flu vaccine and choose about 6 months to produce it. The availability of the flu vaccine relies upon on when manufacturing is done. But typically, shipments get started someday in August in the United States. Medical doctors and nurses may well get started vaccinating people today as quickly as the flu vaccine is offered in their parts.

It requires up to two months to construct immunity immediately after a flu shot, but you can profit from the vaccine even if you do not get it right up until immediately after the flu season commences. It’s normally very best for people today in the United States to get their flu vaccine in September and Oct, and purpose to get it by the close of Oct. Nonetheless, you can nonetheless defend your self in opposition to late flu outbreaks if you get the vaccine in February or later on.

Why do I need to have to get vaccinated just about every yr?

Due to the fact flu viruses evolve so promptly, final year’s vaccine may well not defend you from this year’s viruses. New flu vaccines are unveiled just about every yr to keep up with rapidly adapting flu viruses.

When you get vaccinated, your immune method makes antibodies to defend you from the viruses included in the vaccine. But antibody amounts may well decline over time — a further rationale to get a flu shot just about every yr.

Who ought to get the flu vaccine?

The CDC endorses annual influenza vaccinations for every person age 6 months or more mature. Vaccination is specially critical for people today at large chance of influenza issues, including:

  • Pregnant females
  • More mature grownups
  • Youthful young children

Children among 6 months and 8 a long time may well need to have two doses of the flu vaccine, presented at the very least 4 months aside, the initial time they are presented a flu vaccine. Soon after that, they can receive single annual doses of the flu vaccine. A 2017 research showed that the vaccine considerably lowers a child’s chance of dying of the flu. Check with your child’s medical doctor.

Long-term clinical problems also can improve your chance of influenza issues. Examples include things like:

  • Asthma
  • Cancer or most cancers cure
  • Long-term obstructive pulmonary sickness (COPD)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Diabetic issues
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Kidney or liver sickness
  • Being overweight

Any one with a continual clinical issue ought to get the flu vaccine.

Who shouldn’t get a flu shot?

Check with your medical doctor just before obtaining a flu vaccine if:

  • You might be allergic to eggs. Most styles of flu vaccines contain a smaller volume of egg protein. If you have a mild egg allergy — you only get hives from taking in eggs, for example — you can receive the flu shot with no any further precautions. If you have a serious egg allergy, you may well need to have to be vaccinated in a clinical setting and be supervised by a medical doctor who is equipped to realize and deal with serious allergic reactions.

    There are also flu vaccines that do not contain egg proteins, and are Meals and Drug Administration (Food and drug administration) accepted for use in people today age eighteen and more mature. Seek advice from your medical doctor about your choices.

  • You had a serious response to a previous flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is not encouraged for any individual who had a serious response to a previous flu vaccine. Check with your medical doctor initial, even though. Some reactions may not be linked to the vaccine.

What are my flu vaccine delivery choices?

The flu vaccine will be offered as an injection or as a nasal spray. In recent a long time, there was issue that the nasal spray flu vaccine wasn’t successful more than enough in opposition to selected styles of flu. The nasal spray vaccine is predicted to be far more successful in the 2020-2021 season.

The nasal spray vaccine is accepted for people today among two and forty nine a long time aged.

The nasal flu vaccine is not encouraged for some people today, including:

  • Children underneath two
  • Grownups fifty and more mature
  • Pregnant females
  • Children among two and seventeen a long time aged who are getting aspirin or a salicylate-containing treatment
  • Individuals with weakened immune techniques
  • Young children two to 4 a long time aged who have had asthma or wheezing in the earlier 12 months

There are other groups suggested to be careful about the use of a nasal spray flu vaccine, these as people today with selected continual clinical problems. Check with your medical doctor to see if you need to have to be careful about receiving a nasal spray flu vaccine.

The flu vaccine can also be shipped by an injection that’s normally presented in a muscle in the arm. If you might be an adult underneath sixty five, you may well also pick an in-the-skin (intradermal) vaccine, or you may well like to have your vaccine shipped applying a jet injector device, which utilizes a large-strain, narrow stream of fluid to penetrate the skin in its place of a needle.

Can the vaccine give me the flu or other respiratory ailments?

No. The flu vaccine are not able to give you the flu. It also does not improve your chance of COVID-19. But you may establish flu-like signs and symptoms — even with receiving a flu vaccine — for a assortment of explanations, including:

  • Reaction to the vaccine. Some people today working experience muscle aches and a fever for a day or two immediately after obtaining a flu vaccine. This may well be a aspect effect of your body’s manufacturing of protecting antibodies.
  • The two-week window. It requires about two months for the flu shot to choose full effect. If you might be uncovered to the influenza virus shortly just before or for the duration of that time interval, you may catch the flu.
  • Mismatched flu viruses. In some a long time, the influenza viruses made use of for the vaccine do not match the viruses circulating for the duration of the flu season. If this takes place, your flu shot will be much less successful, but may well nonetheless supply some defense.
  • Other ailments. Several other ailments, these as the frequent chilly, also produce flu-like signs and symptoms. So you may well feel you have the flu when you really do not.

What sort of defense does the flu vaccine supply?

How perfectly the flu vaccine operates to defend you from the flu can fluctuate. The flu vaccine is typically far more successful amid people today underneath sixty five a long time aged. Some more mature people today and people today with selected clinical problems may well establish much less immunity immediately after obtaining a flu shot.

Testimonials of earlier scientific studies have uncovered that the flu vaccine is about fifty% to 60% successful for wholesome grownups who are among eighteen and 64 a long time aged. The vaccine may well from time to time be much less successful.

Even when the vaccine will not wholly reduce the flu, it may well lessen the severity of your disease, and reduce the chance of critical issues and critical disease demanding hospitalization.

The flu vaccine does not defend you from receiving COVID-19. Nonetheless, it really is specially critical to get the flu vaccine this season due to the fact the flu and coronavirus sickness 2019 (COVID-19) cause equivalent signs and symptoms. Flu vaccination could reduce signs and symptoms that may be confused with all those brought on by COVID-19. Blocking the flu and minimizing the severity of flu disease and hospitalizations could also lessen the amount of people today needing to remain in the medical center.

Can I reduce my chance of the flu with no receiving a flu shot?

The flu vaccine is your very best protection in opposition to the flu, but there are further steps you can choose to assistance defend your self from the flu and other viruses, including COVID-19. These steps include things like the adhering to:

  • Wash your palms frequently and carefully with soap and h2o for at the very least twenty seconds.
  • Use an alcoholic beverages-dependent sanitizer on your palms if soap and h2o usually are not offered.
  • Prevent touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Prevent crowds when the flu is spreading in your area.
  • Prevent getting in close make contact with with other people who are ill.
  • Go over your mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze, and then wash your palms.
  • Consistently thoroughly clean and disinfect typically touched surfaces, these as counters, light switches or doorknobs. This can assistance to reduce spread of an infection from touching a floor with the virus on it and then your confront.
  • Practice great health and fitness practices. Get typical exercising, get more than enough sleep, drink a lot of fluids, eat a wholesome food plan, and deal with your pressure.

If you become ill with the flu, you can also assistance reduce the spread of the flu by staying home and absent from other people. Carry on staying home right up until your fever has been gone for at the very least 24 hrs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both COVID-19 and the flu may well be spreading at the very same time. Your local health and fitness office and the CDC may well advise further precautions to reduce your chance of COVID-19 or the flu, these as training social distancing and keeping 6 ft (two meters) absent from any individual outside the house your home. You also may well need to have to use a cloth confront mask when in community, specially when it really is difficult to manage length.

Getting your flu vaccine can reduce your chance of the flu and its issues, and adhering to these precautions can assistance defend you from the flu or other respiratory ailments.