Flu Shot: Inactive Vaccine
The vaccine in the flu shot is made from non-infectious, killed
viruses, so it is impossible to get the flu from the shot. It is
70% - 90% effective in preventing disease in healthy adults and
80% effective in preventing death in the frail, elderly
population.
Who can get the inactive flu shot?
The flu shot can be given to people six months
of age and older who do not have an allergic reaction to eggs.
It takes about two weeks after the shot is given for people to
develop enough antibodies to provide adequate protection from
the disease.
How many shots are needed?
People nine years of age and older need one
shot each season. Children younger than nine years need two
shots given a month apart the first time they receive the
vaccine. After that, they only need one shot each season.
How long does it take for the flu shot to work?
People are protected from influenza about two
weeks after they receive the shot.
Is the flu shot safe?
Getting influenza disease is much riskier than
getting the influenza vaccine; however, a vaccine, like any
other medicine is capable of causing serious problems, such as
severe allergic reactions. The risk of the influenza causing
serious harm or death is extremely small.
Mild Reactions
The most frequent side effect of influenza
vaccination is soreness at the vaccination site that lasts
less than two days. These local reactions typically are mild
and rarely interfere with a person's ability to conduct usual
daily activities.
Mild reactions include:
Moderate Reactions
Moderate reactions to the flu shot most often affect persons
who have had no previous exposure to the influenza virus antigens contained in
the vaccine. These reactions begin 6-12 hours after vaccination and can
persist for 1-2 days.
Moderate reactions include:
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Fever
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Fatigue
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Muscle pain
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Headache
Severe Reactions
Life-threatening allergic reactions from influenza vaccine
are very rare. If they
do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot
is received. These reactions probably result from hypersensitivity to
residual egg protein.
Persons who have had hives or swelling of the lips or
tongue, or who have
experienced respiratory distress or collapse after eating eggs should
consult a physician to determine if the vaccine should be administered.
Symptoms of life-threatening allergic reactions include:
If these signs occur:
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Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
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Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened,
and when the vaccination was given.
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Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the
reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form.
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You can file this report through the VAERS web site at http://www.vaers.org,
or by calling 1-800-822-7967. AERS does not provide medical advice.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
In 1976, swine flu vaccine was associated with a severe
paralytic illness called Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).
Influenza vaccines since then have not been clearly linked to
GBS; however, if there is a risk of GBS from current influenza vaccines, it is
estimated that it would occur in 1 or 2 cases per million persons vaccinated;
much less than the risk of developing severe complications to influenza.
For More Information:
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Call your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine
package insert or suggest other sources of information.
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Contact Boulder County Public Health at 303-413-7500.
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Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at
1-800-232-2522 (English) or 1-800-232-0233 (Español) or online at
www.cdc.gov/flu.
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