You Can’t Get the Flu from the Flu Shot – But Here Are Some Reasons People Think You CanIt’s true that the flu shot contains the flu itself, but it won’t make you ill. Dr. Suzan Terry lists reasons why people think they may have gotten the flu from the flu shot and…
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December 22, 2014
Family Health and Wellness Interviewer: How many times have you heard from somebody, "You know, the only time I ever got the flu was the year I got the flu shot." Well, it's actually impossible, but what might be happening that would cause somebody to think that? We'll explore that next on The Scope. Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope. Interviewer: Dr. Susan Terry is Executive Medical Director for the Community Clinics at University of Utah, and for the person that says that the only time that I got the flu was the year I got the flu shot, and that's their excuse for not getting the flu shot ever again. What would you say to that? First of all, is it possible to get the flu from the flu shot? Dr. Terry: No. It's really not possible to get the flu from the flu shot. Interviewer: All right. And why is that? Dr. Terry: Because the virus that's in the flu shot is inactivated, and it's only there to help your body promote immunity. It's not really there to, in any way, make you sick. Interviewer: So the fact that it's deactivated 100%, you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. Dr. Terry: Correct. Interviewer: All right. But yet there are some people that still say, "I got the flu shot and that was the year I got the flu." What might be going on there? Let's talk about the four possible reasons. Number one. Dr. Terry: Sure. We know that it takes at least two weeks to become immune to the flu after you have your vaccination. So, you could pick up a virus in the meantime and come down with the flu. Interviewer: All right. So you've got that two-week period there where you're kind of vulnerable. Dr. Terry: Correct. Interviewer: All right. The reason that somebody says that they got the flu after they got their flu shot number two. Dr. Terry: We know that this time of year and any parent of school-age child will tell you, there are a lot of infections going around. We have the kids back in school. They're all together, and viruses of other kinds can spread like wildfire. And then, of course, they come home. So, you might feel really bad, and feel like you have the flu, but the likelihood that it is actually true influenza for which you have been vaccinated is pretty low. Interviewer: So it's likely something else and you just you need to say it's the flu to feel better about the whole deal. Dr. Terry: Right. Interviewer: Okay. All right, reason why somebody might say they got the flu from the flu shot, number three. Dr. Terry: You could be exposed to a flu virus that's not included in seasonal flu. We try to get as close as we can to what we expect to see in the influenza season, and it is a scientific process that's done, but we aren't always 100%. Interviewer: So it's possible the flu you got was not accounted for in the shot. Dr. Terry: Correct. Interviewer: All right. And the reason somebody might think that they got the flu from the flu shot number four. Dr. Terry: This is actually a little bit later on in the course in that some people just get infected with the flu virus after having a flu vaccine. Now, it is most likely to be the most protective for older children and younger healthy adults, but there are still people who have other types of illnesses or younger kids or older adults with chronic disease who, even though they are vaccinated and develop some immune response to the flu, can still come down with influenza. Interviewer: And still can come down with one of the flu strains that they were... It's about 70% effective if I understand correctly. Dr. Terry: That's right. Interviewer: Yeah. All right. So, we've gone ahead and established that you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. People still deny that. Hopefully, we've given them some reasons why they might think that they got the flu from the flu shot, but bottom line is... Dr. Terry: You won't get the flu from the flu shot. So, we strongly recommend that everyone over the age of six months gets a flu shot. Announcer: TheScopeRadio.com is University of Utah Health Sciences radio. If you like what you heard, be sure to get our latest content by following us on Facebook. Just click on the Facebook icon at TheScopeRadio.com. |
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Why are People so Freaked Out by Flu Shots?From the fear of needles to government conspiracy theories, some people are opposed to getting a flu shot. Dr. Susan Terry explains why the thoroughly tested flu vaccine is safe, virtually painless…
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November 05, 2014 Announcer: Medical news and research from University Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope. Interviewer: Dr. Terry, why is it that some people seem to be so freaked out about flu vaccines? It seems like there is a movement. Is it a small movement, a large movement? I don't know. They think there is a conspiracy theory or we shouldn't get them, or something of that nature. What is going on with that? Dr. Terry: Well, my personal opinion is that most of those people are afraid of shots. Interviewer: They'll do anything. Dr. Terry: They will use any excuse not to get stuck with a needle. The flu vaccine is given with tiny, tiny little needle. You can barely feel it when it goes in. It's not really a good reason not to get a flu shot. I think there are many people who have been conditioned through their lives to avoid needles. There are some people who have religious objections and, of course, we want to be respectful of that. But we now have evidence that for people who are allergic to eggs, whom we've always said they shouldn't get an egg based vaccine, we're finding there are ways to help them get through that and be able to get a flu vaccine. Interviewer: I probably did one of the worst things I could possibly do. I went on the internet. Dr. Terry: Oh, no. Interviewer: Yeah, and I did a little reading on the flu vaccine and there are some people out there that talk about all the other bad things that are in them. Could you elaborate on what they seem to be concerned about? Dr. Terry: They're probably concerned about some of the things that we use as a base, for example, for the flu vaccine, preservatives that are placed in the flu vaccine. But because there has been over the years such an uproar over the danger of the flu vaccine, all those things have been studied and been found to be really benign and safe and really not the issue. Interviewer: So the medical community is not trying to hide anything from anybody. Dr. Terry: No, not at all, not at all. Interviewer: And you would have no problem getting a flu shot yourself. Dr. Terry: I already had mine this year. Interviewer: Or giving it to your kids. Dr. Terry: My husband has had his and I hope the grown up kids have had theirs. Interviewer: So I should rest at ease is what you're telling me. Dr. Terry: Yes, rest at ease right after you get your flu shot. Announcer: TheScopeRadio.com is University of Utah Health Sciences Radio. If you like what you heard be sure to get our latest content by following us on Facebook. Just click on the Facebook icon at TheScopeRadio.com |
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Flu Shot Facts & MythsFlu shots are regularly recommended by doctors now. But did you know that what makes up the shot changes every year based on what strains of flu are most likely to be around? Learn about this and…
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September 25, 2013
Family Health and Wellness Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope. Scott: If you're like most people, you're probably still in denial that summer should still be here and the flu shot is the last thing on your mind, but actually flu shots are available right now. Dr. Susan Terry with University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, thank you for joining us today and when did the flu shots become available? Dr. Susan Terry: We actually got our flu shots about two weeks ago, and so there're available now, usually mid to late August. Scott: And should somebody get one as soon as it becomes available, or should you wait until it gets a little closer to flu season. Dr. Susan Terry: Actually, we would like to see people to start getting their flu shots as soon as they're available, so that we can make sure that we get as many people vaccinated as possible. Scott: As a general rule, who should be getting the flu shot? Dr. Susan Terry: We recommend that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot, unless they have some real reason not to get it, such as a religious restriction or a serious significant allergic reaction to previous flu injections or to eggs. Scott: And I got my flu shot last year, so I'm covered this year, right? Dr. Susan Terry: No, Scott, unfortunately you have to get a flu shot every year because we change the vaccine every year. So we look at what was around last year, as far as the typical antigens of influenza and we also look at what happens in the Southern Hemisphere, in places like South America, over their flu season because of course, they're in the winter when we're in the summer. We're looking at all of the different types of viruses that are out there and we change the vaccine to meet those viruses. Scott: And you have, is it four new viruses that you're kind of thinking are going to be the super stars, or the problems this year? Dr. Susan Terry: Yes, we have four antigens in this year's vaccine, in most of this year's vaccine. Some of the vaccine that's available this year has three antigens, two A and one B, because that's what we saw in our own area last year. And now they're producing a vaccine that's called Quadrivalent, which is four things, so we have two A and two B in the Quadrivalent vaccine. Scott: And how, kind of bad are these particular strains of flu that you're adding this year? Dr. Susan Terry: We don't really have any super influenza, like we had some concern about a few years ago, but any influenza can be serious for anyone who becomes ill, but particularly for anyone with any risk factors. Scott: Let's talk about that for a second. So how bad is the flu really if I don't get my shot. Dr. Susan Terry: Well it can be serious. You can be hospitalized, you can get pneumonia, and, unfortunately every year a few people die from influenza. Scott: And about how long, if you do get it and you don't get the shot, does the flu kind of stay in your system? Dr. Susan Terry: Oh you can be sick for 10 to 14 days with influenza. Scott: And if you get the shot does it completely eliminate that chance or? Dr. Susan Terry: No vaccine is 100% effective, because as you can see, this year we have different antigens than we had last year, a different influenza virus was around last year than the previous year. So every year something new creeps in and you may still get sick. But even getting a vaccine that is not 100% protective against what's out there is better than not getting any vaccine at all, because it does stimulate your immune system to react to a virus that comes along. Scott: All right, what about this excuse, every time I get the flu shot I seem to get sick right afterwards. Dr. Susan Terry: Well there can be some side effects. You don't get the flu from the flu shot, that's just the truth, you don't get the flu from the flu shot. But you can get a little achy, you can get a runny nose, some people even get an upset stomach, but those are really side effects of the vaccine, that's not really influenza. Scott: Are there other excuses that people tend to use? Let's talk about those right now. Dr. Susan Terry: Some people do have concerns about being allergic to the flu shot because their arm gets sore, but that's really a reaction, your body is reacting, starting to create immunity to the influenza so you do get a red swollen arm sometimes, but again, that's not a bad thing. Scott: And what about the notion, I've heard of something called herd immunity, so it's almost as if I as a healthy adult should get the flu shot, because the more people that get the vaccines the better. Dr. Susan Terry: That's true. The more people who are immune to the virus, the better it is for all the people who are around them, and it is called herd immunity, and it is one of the things that we count on, because we know that we will not get 100% of the people who should have a flu shot, getting a flu shot. Scott: As a health care professional then your final thoughts, flu shots definitely worthwhile regardless of any little side effects that somebody might get. Dr. Susan Terry: Definitely worthwhile and anyone with asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease, anyone who is pregnant, anyone who has cancer, or any kind of immune suppression, like HIV-Aids, children less than 2, and anyone over 65, definitely, definitely think about getting a flu shot. Announcer: We're your daily dose of science, conversation, medicine. This is The Scope, University of Utah health sciences radio. |