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The following is written by Gretchen LaSalle, MD, MultiCare Health System:
It's still this time of year. The kids are back in school, it's getting colder and your health care providers and pharmacists are gearing up for the flu season.
What does the preparation look like? We all know that flu can be devastated, but many people choose not to be vaccinated, sometimes because of misinformation read online or heard by others. So our job is to destroy the myths about this life-saving vaccine.
For example, many people tell me that when they were vaccinated against the flu, they were sicker than ever that year. But the flu vaccine has never been designed to be a quick fix. Many other viruses can cause flu-like illnesses that are not really flu.
This is what the flu looks like: it suddenly appears. One day, it's okay, the next day, you feel hit by a truck. Your whole body hurts. You have high fever, cough, headache, sore throat and fatigue. This usually lasts a week – unless you have complications, in which case it lasts longer.
And if you have vomiting and diarrhea, you probably have a stomach virus, which is different from the flu. The flu sometimes causes only vomiting, and even then it is more common in children. But diarrhea is not part of the situation with the flu. The influenza vaccine does not help stomach insects.
You will probably find below some common myths about the influenza vaccine and why they are inaccurate.
Fiction: The influenza vaccine causes the flu.
The influenza vaccine is a killed virus vaccine and, as such, can not cause the disease against which it is supposed to protect itself. It's a different story for influenza vaccine, which uses a weakened or weakened form of influenza virus – so it should not be given to someone who has a weakened immune system, because it could give them influenza.
"But I felt so cruel after being vaccinated against the flu," it could be said. It is not uncommon to feel a bit under time after the flu vaccine or any other vaccine. A little pain, mild fatigue and even moderate fever are considered a normal response. It's just the immune system of your body that is going into high gear. It's not the flu. The flu is much worse.
The flu season usually lasts from November to April, with some years not exceeding the month of May. Since it takes two weeks for the flu shot to work, we want to get vaccinated before the start of the influenza season. You are not protected from the flu before the end of these two weeks. But if you are unable to get the flu shot before later, do not worry. It will still provide protection for the rest of the flu season.
Fiction: The flu vaccine is not effective. It will not help.
Even though the influenza vaccine is the "best estimate" for which strains circulate that year – based on strains that have touched the southern hemisphere, since their influenza season is earlier than ours – it still protects you severe complications of the flu. Some vaccines are better than others, but that does not mean that the vaccine is not worth getting.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that on the whole of child deaths due to influenza during the 2012-13 influenza season, 90% were not vaccinated against influenza. It should also be noted that since 1938, the year of the introduction of the influenza vaccine, we have not seen an influenza pandemic. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 killed nearly 50 million people worldwide.
Fiction: I am in good health, so I do not need to be vaccinated against the flu. I will put it back.
May be. But even healthy people can have serious complications due to the flu: pneumonia, respiratory failure, death. It is true that people with chronic diseases, the elderly, infants and pregnant women are the most exposed. But among the deaths due to influenza in children from 2012 to 2013, 40% had no chronic illness or other risk of serious complications.
More specifically, getting vaccinated is not just about protecting yourself. When you catch the flu virus, you are contagious about one to two days before having one symptom. So you could spread the virus without even knowing it – touching door knobs, shaking hands, etc.
Everyone needs a flu shot – to protect themselves and their loved ones, as well as to protect the most vulnerable people in our community. The influenza vaccine can be given as early as 6 months of age.
You are more likely to have serious consequences of the flu than other infections for which we vaccinate more easily. In 2015, we had our first death linked to measles in more than a decade. In contrast, the CDC estimates between 9.2 and 35.6 million cases, between 140,000 and 710,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths from influenza in the United States.
Statistically, you should definitely get vaccinated against the flu.
Fiction: I can not get the flu shot because (1) I'm allergic to eggs or (2) I do not want mercury poisoning.
Good news: Starting with the 2016-2017 influenza season, the CDC is now recommending the flu vaccine to everyone, even those who are allergic to eggs. If you can eat cooked eggs without difficulty or have a light version of egg allergy, you can get flu shot anywhere. If you have a severe egg allergy, you can still get the flu shot, but you need a doctor who can recognize and respond to a serious allergic reaction.
For mercury, there is no influenza vaccine unless you receive a vaccine from a multi-dose vial. And even then, the amount of mercury in a pediatric dose is equivalent to eating a box of 3 ounces of tuna, a form of mercury much less harmful (ethyl mercury instead of methylmercury).
Fiction: I do not like needles, but the nasal spray version of the flu is no longer available.
While it is true that nasal spray flu immunization has not been available for two years because of reduced efficacy against H1N1 strains of flu, it has been reorganized and will be available again for the 2018-2019 influenza season. Check with your healthcare provider to find out if he is offering this form of vaccine.
Please protect yourself and those around you. Get vaccinated against the flu. And if you have more questions or concerns, ask your health care provider. Do not let misinformation and misunderstandings keep you from being healthy and safe.
Where to get the flu shot
MultiCare offers adult and pediatric influenza vaccines in many locations in Puget Sound and Inland Northwest.
The pharmacies that offer the influenza vaccine generally accept most forms of insurance, but tell your primary care physician that you have received the flu shot so that it can be added to your chart.
Gretchen LaSalle, MD, is a family medicine provider at the Rockwood MultiCare Clinic. MultiCare Health System is a non-profit health organization with more than 18,000 employees, service providers and volunteers.
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