Health Forum

What are the benefits of the flu vaccine? 1. Flu prevention According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), receiving the influenza vaccine is the most effective way to prevent yourself from becoming sick with the flu. 2. You may feel less sick If you do get sick with the flu, your symptoms may be milder if you got the vaccination. 3. Lower risk of hospitalizations or complications in certain groups Influenza vaccination has been shown to lead to a lower risk of influenza-related complications or hospitalizations in some groups. They include: older adults, pregnant women and their children, children, people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. 4. Protection within the community When you protect yourself from the flu through vaccination, you’re also protecting those who can’t get vaccinated from catching the flu. This includes those who are too young to get vaccinated. What are the risks of the flu vaccine? 1. Still getting the flu Sometimes you can get the flu shot and still come down with the flu. It takes around two weeks after receiving the vaccination for your body to develop immunity. During this time, you can still get catch the flu. Another reason why you can still catch the flu is if there wasn’t a good “vaccine match.” Researchers need to decide on which strains to include in the vaccine many months before flu season actually starts. When there’s not a good match between the selected strains and the strains that actually end up circulating during flu season, the vaccine isn’t as effective. 2. Severe allergic reaction Some people may have a negative reaction to the flu shot. If you have a negative reaction to the vaccine, symptoms usually occur within minutes to hours after receiving the vaccine. Symptoms may include: difficulty breathing, wheezing, rapid heartbeat, rash or hives and swelling around the eyes and mouth, feeling weak or dizzy. If you experience these symptoms after getting the flu vaccine, see your doctor. If the reaction is severe, go to the emergency room. 3. Guillain-Barre syndrome Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare condition where your immune system begins to attack your peripheral nerves. It’s very rare, but influenza virus vaccination can trigger the condition. If you’ve already had Guillain-Barre syndrome, speak to your doctor before getting vaccinated.