By encouraging patients to receive the flu vaccine every
fall, it always amazes me that so many people have
misconceptions about the flu and the flu vaccine. if i were to
ask a group of patients what the flu is, you would get a lot of
different responses, including descriptions of the symptoms of a
viral gastrointestinal syndrome (nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea), a sinus infection, the common cold, or
influenza (flu) infection.
Influenza (referred to as the flu in this article) is a serious illness
and highly contagious viral respiratory disease.
Complications from the flu can lead to hospitalization and
death. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
Each year in the United States, 5% – 20% of the population
contract the flu, approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized
of flu complications, and approximately 36,000 people die
from the flu
Flu symptoms include fever (usually >102F),
headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, dry cough, golden drip
nasal congestion and muscular pains. nausea, vomiting and
diarrhea are uncommon with the flu. Although some flu
symptoms resemble those of the common cold, flu symptoms
have a much more abrupt onset and are more severe than
of a cold Possible complications of the flu include
bacterial or viral pneumonia, sinus infections, ear
infections, dehydration and worsening of other medical conditions
conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or chronic lung disease
disease. These complications can prolong the disease and may
lead to hospitalization.
The flu virus spreads from person to person through coughing.
or sneeze. You can get infected by touching something
(such as a doorknob or telephone) that has the flu virus
and then touching your mouth or nose. the best way to
Preventing the flu is getting a flu shot every year.
between October and December. The flu vaccine may be offered to
all healthy people who want to lower their risk of
get the flu. Certain people are at high risk of getting the flu
complications and should be strongly recommended to receive
the vaccine These groups are: children (6 months-5 years)
of age), pregnant women, people over 50 years of age, people with
chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma,
emphysema, HIV infection, AIDS, heart disease) and people
living in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes
and prisons. In addition, all health workers and
household contacts of people in high-risk groups, such as
as well as household contacts of babies under 6 months of age.
age, you should get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus
to those people.
Let’s clear up another very common misconception: the flu
The shot doesn’t give you the flu and it doesn’t make you sick!
I can’t even count the number of times patients have
They told me they got the vaccine and they got the flu. Tea
The vaccine consists of killed influenza virus (killed virus is
is not capable of causing disease), which causes the body
respond by developing antibodies to protect against the flu.
It is this response that causes the common side effects of
vaccine, such as mild fever, chills, headache, and
fatigue, during the first 24 hours after the administration of the vaccine.
Remember, this is not the flu.
Some people should not get vaccinated; include: people
with a severe allergy to eggs, people who have had a severe allergy
past reaction to flu vaccine, children under 6 years of age
months of age and people with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome
(a paralyzing neuromuscular disorder). if you have
a moderate or severe illness with fever, you should wait
until those symptoms disappear before getting vaccinated.
If you are HIV positive, most health care providers
We recommend that you get a flu shot every year.
Although there has been some debate and controversy about
this issue, it is generally thought that vaccination offers
significant benefits to the HIV positive person, including
preventing serious flu complications such as
bacterial pneumonia and activation of HIV replication
(leading to an increase in HIV viral load and a decrease in
CD4 cell count). Also, the flu can look like
symptoms of an opportunistic infection related to HIV or AIDS;
therefore, avoiding the flu will avoid unnecessary diagnosis. Tea
the vaccine itself is well tolerated by most people, even
those who are infected with HIV. There may be a very slight and
temporary increase in HIV viral load, but this will go away quickly
resolved after vaccination. Studies have shown that the
body’s ability to respond to any vaccine and accumulate
protective antibodies may decrease when the CD4 cell
the count is below 2oo, but vaccination is still recommended
these people, as there may still be some protection
benefit.
You may hear about the nasal spray flu vaccine and think
that this would be a great alternative to getting another
injection. I’m sorry, but if you’re HIV positive you can’t
receive this vaccine. The nasal spray vaccine is a live vaccine.
vaccine, which contains live, weakened virus (instead of
virus killed on injection), and is capable of producing
serious illness in anyone with a weakened immune system. Yew
you are HIV positive, you should never receive any
vaccinations for this reason.
In conclusion, the flu vaccine is the best protection
against the flu. However, you can still get other
viral respiratory illnesses or even a strain of the flu that
it was not included in the flu vaccine. In addition to vaccination, the
The next best defense against viral illnesses is frequent and
thorough hand washing and use of antibacterial hand gels
It can be carried in your pocket, bag or car. This
will help prevent you from transferring the virus that is coming
in contact with the mouth and nose.