Flu shot: Your greatest wager for preventing influenza

Having a flu shot frequently guards you from coming down with the flu. And although the flu shot does not often present overall safety, it truly is worthy of obtaining.

By Mayo Clinic Staff members

This year’s once-a-year flu shot will give safety versus a few or 4 of the influenza viruses expected to be in circulation this flu year. A high-dose flu vaccine as well as an additional vaccine also will be readily available for grownups age 65 and older.

Influenza is a respiratory infection that can result in severe difficulties, specially in youthful little ones, older grownups and people today with specified health care ailments. Having an influenza vaccine — although not a hundred% effective — is the greatest way to avoid the misery of the flu and its difficulties. The Facilities for Ailment Manage and Avoidance (CDC) recommends once-a-year flu vaccination for every person age six months or older.

Listed here are the solutions to frequent inquiries about flu photographs:

When is the flu vaccine readily available?

Non-public makers make the flu vaccine and get about six months to produce it. The availability of the flu vaccine depends on when creation is completed. But commonly, shipments begin someday in August in the United States. Medical doctors and nurses may begin vaccinating people today as before long as the flu vaccine is readily available in their parts.

It normally takes up to two weeks to develop immunity soon after a flu shot, but you can reward from the vaccine even if you really don’t get it until eventually soon after the flu year starts off. It really is generally greatest for people today in the United States to get their flu vaccine in September and October, and goal to get it by the stop of October. However, you can even now shield yourself versus late flu outbreaks if you get the vaccine in February or later.

Why do I have to have to get vaccinated every single calendar year?

Due to the fact flu viruses evolve so rapidly, very last year’s vaccine may not shield you from this year’s viruses. New flu vaccines are unveiled every single calendar year to continue to keep up with rapidly adapting flu viruses.

When you get vaccinated, your immune procedure provides antibodies to shield you from the viruses included in the vaccine. But antibody concentrations may decrease more than time — a different reason to get a flu shot every single calendar year.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

The CDC recommends once-a-year influenza vaccinations for every person age six months or older. Vaccination is specially essential for people today at high possibility of influenza difficulties, which includes:

  • Pregnant females
  • Older grownups
  • Youthful little ones

Little ones between six months and eight decades may have to have two doses of the flu vaccine, provided at the very least 4 weeks aside, the very first time they are provided a flu vaccine. Right after that, they can receive solitary once-a-year doses of the flu vaccine. A 2017 research showed that the vaccine drastically decreases a child’s possibility of dying of the flu. Verify with your child’s health care provider.

Chronic health care ailments also can increase your possibility of influenza difficulties. Illustrations consist of:

  • Asthma
  • Cancer or cancer cure
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary sickness (COPD)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Diabetes
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Kidney or liver sickness
  • Weight problems

Anyone with a chronic health care issue should get the flu vaccine.

Who shouldn’t get a flu shot?

Verify with your health care provider just before getting a flu vaccine if:

  • You’re allergic to eggs. Most sorts of flu vaccines comprise a small volume of egg protein. If you have a mild egg allergy — you only get hives from taking in eggs, for illustration — you can receive the flu shot without the need of any additional safety measures. If you have a serious egg allergy, you may have to have to be vaccinated in a health care location and be supervised by a health care provider who is equipped to recognize and manage serious allergic reactions.

    There are also flu vaccines that really don’t comprise egg proteins, and are Food and Drug Administration (Fda) approved for use in people today age 18 and older. Seek the advice of your health care provider about your possibilities.

  • You experienced a serious reaction to a former flu vaccine. The flu vaccine just isn’t encouraged for any person who experienced a serious reaction to a former flu vaccine. Verify with your health care provider very first, although. Some reactions could not be connected to the vaccine.

What are my flu vaccine delivery possibilities?

The flu vaccine will be readily available as an injection or as a nasal spray. In new decades, there was issue that the nasal spray flu vaccine was not effective ample versus specified sorts of flu. The nasal spray vaccine is expected to be much more effective in the 2020-2021 year.

The nasal spray vaccine is approved for people today between 2 and forty nine decades outdated.

The nasal flu vaccine just isn’t encouraged for some people today, which includes:

  • Little ones under 2
  • Grown ups 50 and older
  • Pregnant females
  • Little ones between 2 and seventeen decades outdated who are taking aspirin or a salicylate-that contains medication
  • Persons with weakened immune devices
  • Little ones 2 to 4 decades outdated who have experienced asthma or wheezing in the past 12 months

There are other groups recommended to be careful about the use of a nasal spray flu vaccine, these as people today with specified chronic health care ailments. Verify with your health care provider to see if you have to have to be careful about obtaining a nasal spray flu vaccine.

The flu vaccine can also be delivered by an injection which is generally provided in a muscle mass in the arm. If you might be an adult under 65, you may also select an in-the-skin (intradermal) vaccine, or you may like to have your vaccine delivered making use of a jet injector device, which makes use of a high-stress, slim stream of fluid to penetrate the skin alternatively of a needle.

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

No. The flu vaccine can not give you the flu. It also does not increase your possibility of COVID-19. But you could create flu-like signs or symptoms — even with obtaining a flu vaccine — for a variety of causes, which includes:

  • Response to the vaccine. Some people today practical experience muscle mass aches and a fever for a day or two soon after getting a flu vaccine. This may be a aspect effect of your body’s creation of protective antibodies.
  • The two-7 days window. It normally takes about two weeks for the flu shot to get entire effect. If you might be exposed to the influenza virus shortly just before or all through that time interval, you could catch the flu.
  • Mismatched flu viruses. In some decades, the influenza viruses used for the vaccine really don’t match the viruses circulating all through the flu year. If this happens, your flu shot will be much less effective, but may even now give some safety.
  • Other diseases. Numerous other diseases, these as the frequent cold, also produce flu-like signs or symptoms. So you may assume you have the flu when you truly really don’t.

What sort of safety does the flu vaccine give?

How well the flu vaccine is effective to shield you from the flu can vary. The flu vaccine is commonly much more effective among the people today under 65 decades outdated. Some older people today and people today with specified health care ailments may create much less immunity soon after getting a flu shot.

Assessments of past scientific studies have observed that the flu vaccine is about 50% to 60% effective for healthy grownups who are between 18 and 64 decades outdated. The vaccine may often be much less effective.

Even when the vaccine does not wholly avoid the flu, it may reduce the severity of your illness, and minimize the possibility of severe difficulties and severe illness requiring hospitalization.

The flu vaccine does not shield you from obtaining COVID-19. However, it truly is specially essential to get the flu vaccine this year for the reason that the flu and coronavirus sickness 2019 (COVID-19) result in similar signs or symptoms. Flu vaccination could minimize signs or symptoms that could be confused with individuals brought on by COVID-19. Avoiding the flu and reducing the severity of flu illness and hospitalizations could also reduce the quantity of people today needing to continue to be in the healthcare facility.

Can I decrease my possibility of the flu without the need of obtaining a flu shot?

The flu vaccine is your greatest defense versus the flu, but there are additional ways you can get to support shield yourself from the flu and other viruses, which includes COVID-19. These ways consist of the adhering to:

  • Wash your hands frequently and carefully with soap and drinking water for at the very least twenty seconds.
  • Use an alcohol-based mostly sanitizer on your hands if soap and drinking water usually are not readily available.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Avoid crowds when the flu is spreading in your location.
  • Avoid staying in close get hold of with other individuals who are ill.
  • Protect your mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze, and then clean your hands.
  • Frequently cleanse and disinfect typically touched surfaces, these as counters, light-weight switches or doorknobs. This can support to avoid distribute of infection from touching a floor with the virus on it and then your encounter.
  • Exercise fantastic health and fitness patterns. Get common exercising, get ample rest, drink lots of fluids, try to eat a healthy diet, and manage your worry.

If you turn into ill with the flu, you can also support avoid the distribute of the flu by being house and away from other individuals. Go on being house until eventually your fever has been long gone for at the very least 24 hrs.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the two COVID-19 and the flu may be spreading at the identical time. Your community health and fitness department and the CDC may propose additional safety measures to minimize your possibility of COVID-19 or the flu, these as working towards social distancing and preserving six ft (2 meters) away from any person outdoors your family. You also may have to have to use a fabric encounter mask when in general public, specially when it truly is really hard to preserve length.

Having your flu vaccine can minimize your possibility of the flu and its difficulties, and adhering to these safety measures can support shield you from the flu or other respiratory diseases.