Below, Drs. Naseer, Grosso and Robinson share what they know to set the
record straight.
Each year in the U.S., about 25 million people are sickened by flu, and
between 12,000 and 61,000 people have died from the virus each year since
2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The disease can be life-threatening, regardless of age," Dr.
Naseer emphasizes. "It is very important for everybody to get the
vaccine and not have this false sense of security. It is extremely preventable.
And it hurts me every year when I see somebody very young suffering from
it in my ICU."
Now, imagine what might happen when you add in COVID-19, which killed more
than 180,000 people in the U.S. (and 870,000 worldwide) during the first
eight months of 2020, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Just because you don't recall having flu symptoms doesn't mean
you've never had the flu, says Dr. Naseer. Many times people are asymptomatic
or have very mild symptoms. Still, "they are very capable of transmitting
to others, which is another really important reason to get the influenza
vaccine."
Dr. Robinson is far more blunt in addressing this myth: "I have never
been in an automobile accident, but I still wear my seatbelt just in case.
I have seen patients who 'never get the flu' and end up in an
intensive care unit on a breathing machine fighting for their lives. This
could have been prevented with the vaccine."
Myth 3: The Flu Vaccine Will Give Me the Flu
Side effects of the flu vaccine are generally minor, per the
CDC, and may include soreness and mild swelling where a shot was given, headache,
fever, muscle aches, nausea and fatigue.
Now this may sound like getting the flu, but it's merely your
immune system at work, learning how to mount a defense against the flu, says Dr. Naseer.
Symptoms are unlikely to last more than 48 to 72 hours.
The flu vaccine can't infect you because vaccines are made with flu
viruses that are either dead or weakened, or they may use proteins from
the virus, according to the
CDC. "It has no potential to harm. It basically gives a body or immune
system a little map," Dr. Naseer explains. "It teaches an immune
system to be ready for an influenza virus."
Myth 4: I Got the Vaccine and Then I Got the Flu, So It Doesn’t Work
Influenza comes in different strains, and the trick is to match the vaccine
to the strains that are likely to be prevalent in a given flu season,
says Dr. Naseer. "An influenza virus has surface proteins that go
through slight changes every year. These are called antigenic drifts.
So we usually predict [strains] three to six months before the flu season."
A new, unanticipated drift may happen that is not covered in the vaccine
you took, in which case you may get that strain. "But still, you
get protection from the most common strains that were present in the last
season and what is predicted to be in the upcoming season," he says.
Myth 5: I Don't Need a Vaccine if I Build Up My Defenses with Vitamin C or Zinc
The CDC advises that supplementing with these nutrients may affect cold
symptoms and, in the case of vitamin C, also reduce the risk that people
who engage in intense exercise will catch a cold. But the cold and the
flu are two different illnesses.
Plus, a flu vaccine offers far superior protection than any nutritional
measures you might take, says Dr. Naseer.
But if you still want to boost your immunity after getting the flu vaccine,
"You're better off just focusing on good health practices and
making sure that your nutrition is adequate and balanced, and that you're
getting adequate sleep," he advises. "If you have a well-balanced
diet, you will get plenty of vitamin C and zinc."
Myth 6: Pregnant Women Can’t Get the Flu Vaccine
"This is extremely untrue," Dr. Robinson says. "The flu
vaccine is proven safe in pregnant women."
What's more, pregnant women are at high risk for the complications
of the flu, per the CDC, and the virus could harm the unborn baby, too
— fever caused by influenza may be linked to defects in a fetus'
brain, spine or spinal cord.
But getting vaccinated during pregnancy protects mom and baby, and as a
bonus, mom passes antibodies onto the fetus, which carry on protecting
the baby after birth as well.
Myth 7: The Flu Vaccine May Interact Badly With COVID-19
"There is no known interaction between the influenza vaccination and
SARS-CoV-2," says Dr. Robinson.
Dr. Naseer says there isn't enough data yet this early in the pandemic
to know about any interactions, but points out that the flu vaccine is
specifically structured to address the influenza virus, not SARS-CoV-2.
Myth 8: The Flu Vaccine May Decrease My Chances of Getting COVID-19
The previous answer is the reason why this is also a myth.
"Unfortunately, the flu shot won't protect you from COVID-19,"
Dr. Grosso says. However, being protected from flu will be especially
important if COVID-19 surges this fall and hospitals are again overburdened
with patients, because the vaccine decreases both your risk of infection
and the chance you'll develop symptoms severe enough to land you in
the hospital.
3 Things to Know Before You Get a Flu Vaccine
Assuming you are now convinced to get a flu vaccine this fall and to make
sure your family is vaccinated, keep the following things in mind.
1. There are some people who should check with their doctor before getting
a flu vaccine. "People with a history of severe allergy to any component
or certain rare reactions, like Guillain-Barre Syndrome, should not be
immunized," says Dr. Grosso.
The CDC further explains that eggs are involved in the production of many
vaccines, so if you have an egg allergy, ask your doctor what your options
might be — if the allergy is mild, you may be able to get the regular
vaccine, but there are also egg-free options available. If you're
not sure what type of vaccine you're getting, refer to the vaccine
package insert, adds Dr. Robinson.
2. Different vaccines are approved for people in different age groups.
The CDC has a rundown of which ones are available this season, and who
they are for.
3. Good COVID-19 hygiene (on top of getting vaccinated) may also help to
protect you from the flu and other infections. "When the pandemic
surge struck our area this spring, we noticed an abrupt drop off in the
rate of respiratory virus illnesses, including cold viruses like RSV,
adenovirus and others," says Dr. Grosso, who is based in New York
State's Long Island. "It is very likely that hand-washing, masks
and distancing made the difference."
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