The Link Between Migraine and Fever
Can The Flu Shot Give You Influenza?
The flu shot won't give you influenza because it contains inactive forms of the virus. However, you might have side effects like headaches, fevers, and sore muscles.
While some people think that getting a flu shot can give you the flu, this is a common misconception.
You might experience symptoms like a fever or muscle aches after getting a flu shot, but these are just side effects.
The flu shot is generally considered very safe for most people. If you've had a reaction to vaccinations in the past or aren't feeling well, it's a good idea to speak with your doctor before getting it.
Read on to learn more about how the flu shot works and possible side effects.
The flu shot — also called the influenza vaccine — works by introducing inactive flu viruses into your bloodstream.
This triggers the immune system to create antibodies, which are proteins that protect the body from infection.
Healthcare professionals give most flu shots with an injection, but you can also get a nasal spray alternative.
The flu shot can't give you influenza because it uses inactive viruses. However, you may experience side effects from the vaccine.
In some cases, you may catch the flu before your flu shot becomes fully effective. This doesn't mean your vaccine didn't work — it just means that it hadn't had enough time to develop antibodies that protect your body from infection.
You can also develop influenza in the future even if you have the flu shot. This is particularly common if you have a weakened immune response. You can also catch a different strand of flu than the ones you have been vaccinated against.
Common side effects from the flu shot include:
Side effects generally begin shortly after getting your flu shot and typically don't last more than a few days. It's important to mention any allergies and previous reactions with your doctor before getting a flu shot so they can discuss your options with you.
Learn more about flu shot side effects.
Getting a flu shot can help you avoid getting influenza. It can also stop you from spreading the flu to friends and loved ones.
In the 2019 to 2020 flu season, experts estimated the flu shot prevented 7 million cases of influenza.
If you do get influenza after getting a flu shot, it will likely be less severe.
Getting an influenza vaccine reduces the risk of going to the doctor with the flu by 40% to 60% and can reduce your risk of getting admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) by 26% to 59%.
Flu vaccines can also help lower the risk of cardiac events in people with heart disease. It can also prevent worsening lung damage in people with chronic lung conditions.
Pregnant individuals who get a flu shot can offer their babies protection for several months after they're born.
In addition to the myth that the flu shot can give you influenza, there are many misconceptions about who can get a flu shot.
One common myth is that people with egg allergies can't get a flu shot. While you'll want to discuss this allergy and any previous vaccine reactions with your doctor, having an egg allergy doesn't you can't get a flu shot.
Another group who may believe they should avoid the flu shot are pregnant individuals. Getting a flu shot is actually advisable because it can protect both you and your growing baby.
How often should I get a flu shot?Experts recommend getting the flu shot every year for those 6 months of age or older.
Why do I feel sick after the flu shot?Although you can't get influenza from a flu shot, you may feel a variety of side effects like headache, fever, muscle aches, or nausea. In rare cases, you may experience an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the vaccine.
Is it safe for me to get the flu shot?The flu shot is considered safe with very few exceptions. People who should avoid the vaccine include babies under 6 months and those with life threatening allergic reactions to ingredients in the shot.
You may wish to talk with your doctor and delay getting your flu shot if you're feeling poorly.
A flu shot can't give you influenza. Instead, getting a flu shot can reduce the risk of you and your loved ones becoming seriously ill from influenza. You should get a flu shot every year unless your doctor recommends otherwise.
After a flu shot, you may experience side effects like a fever, headache, and muscle pain.
If you've had an allergic reaction to a flu shot in the past or aren't feeling well, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor before getting your flu shot.
They can help advise you on alternative flu vaccinations and whether you should delay getting your shot.
What Doctors Want You To Know About Flu Vaccine Side Effects
WHEN FALL APPROACHES, you might be looking forward to cooler weather and football games. Nobody's looking forward to flu season. But you can help protect yourself by getting a flu shot. If you're hesitating because you've heard rumors about the vaccine, put your mind at ease with these facts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over six months old get vaccinated against the flu and that September and October are the ideal times to get the shot.
Flu season typically runs from mid-fall to mid-spring, says S. Wesley Long, M.D., associate professor of pathology and genomic medicine at Houston Methodist. "I tell people to get the flu shot early in the season, and you should have good coverage through the holiday season when people are going to congregate."
But if you miss that window, don't worry. Dr. Long says it's never too late in the season to get vaccinated. Flu can happen year-round; it's just less common in the summer.
The vaccine is formulated a little differently each year to work against current flu strains, Dr. Long says. "It helps make sure you're covered against whatever is circulating."
Flu shots can reduce the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the flu. The CDC estimates that there were 35 million to 65 million flu illnesses and 25,000 to 72,000 flu deaths last year.
"The flu vaccine is an important part of keeping yourself and your community safe, along with washing your hands, covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and avoiding exposing other people when you are sick," says Shivanjali Shankaran, M.D., an infectious disease physician and associate professor at RUSH Medical College in Chicago.
While it's crucial to get a flu shot, the vaccine can come with some side effects—but side effects don't mean that the shot gave you the flu. Think of them more as a way to know your immune system is working. Here's what you should know about the side effects of the flu vaccine.
FLU SHOTS ARE safe and generally well-tolerated by most people, Dr. Shankaran says.
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Still, some people might experience a few side effects, including:
"Most people have a little redness and soreness at the site of the inoculation," says Andrew Pekosz, Ph.D., professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. "These are normal symptoms and are due in part to your body's immune system reacting to the vaccine."
But most people have mild side effects, if any, adds Jay Lee, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians board of directors and medical director of Integrated Health Partners of Southern California.
Does the Flu Shot Give You the Flu?THIS IS A myth, Dr. Long says. Flu vaccines don't contain any live virus, just pieces of it that are made synthetically to help your immune system recognize the flu when it comes into contact with the real thing.
Getting the actual flu from the flu shot is "physiologically impossible," he says. "It's administered into your arm muscle, which is not a place the flu virus normally goes to. So there is no possibility you can get the flu from the flu shot," Pekosz adds.
If you notice flu-like symptoms after getting the shot, it could be from a cold or another virus that's floating around during flu season, Dr. Long says. Most people do get their flu shots at the height of respiratory illness season.
Flu Shot Side Effects You Should Worry AboutALTHOUGH EXTREMELY RARE, it is possible to develop an allergic reaction to the flu shot. Typically, signs appear within a few minutes of receiving the vaccine and include:
If you're eligible for inoculation via nasal spray (see the CDC's list of people who shouldn't get the nasal spray—including children younger than age 2 and people age 50 and older—here), side effects in adults can include a runny nose, headache, and cough.
Also, note if any symptoms that started out as mild seem to be getting worse, Dr. Lee says. If that happens, call your doctor.
What's New with the 2024-25 Flu Vaccine?THERE ARE MANY types of flu viruses—and each consistently changes. This means that the U.S. Flu vaccines are reviewed every year to protect against the currently circulating flu viruses.
While the medical community won't have the full picture of the latest vaccines until after flu season starts, the CDC has issued a few recommendations for the 2024-25 flu season.
This year's vaccine will be trivalent, meaning it's designed to protect against three different influenza viruses: H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus.
Vaccines have been quadrivalent in recent years, which means they offered protection against four viruses. The CDC says it's moving to a trivalent this year since a virus that has been included hasn't been detected since before March 2020.
Can You Get the Covid, Flu, and RSV Vaccines at the Same Time?THE CDC SAYS that Covid and flu vaccinations can be given at the same time.
"For the majority of people, they will need a flu and Covid vaccine," Dr. Shankaran says. "You can get both on the same day, one in each arm." But you don't have to get them all at once (just be sure to get all of them).
If you're someone who should get an RSV vaccine, you can also get that one at the same time as the flu and Covid shots, Dr. Shankaran says. (The RSV vaccine isn't currently recommended for everyone. It's recommended for some pregnant women, babies under eight months old, and people over 60.)
The Covid and flu vaccines are recommended for everyone over six months of age, according to the CDC.
Can You Still Get Sick Even if You Get the Shot?"THE FLU VACCINE protects against influenza virus, but there are a number of other viruses that can cause a flu-like disease," Pekosz said.
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For instance, viruses like human parainfluenza virus, RSV, and coronaviruses all circulate in fall and early winter. These viruses and their symptoms usually last two to eight days.
Even if you get a flu shot, it's possible to develop the flu. But the vaccine usually means your illness won't be as severe.
"The flu shot remains safe and effective at preventing severe flu that could result in hospitalization or worse, death," Dr. Lee says.
The Bottom Line on Flu Shots and Side EffectsIT'S NORMAL TO feel soreness, redness, tenderness, or even develop a mild fever or body aches a couple of days after you get vaccinated—that's just your immune response, not the flu itself.
So there's no reason to avoid getting the flu shot because you think it'll make you sick. Unless you have severe or life-threatening allergies to the flu vaccine or any ingredients in it, most people should roll up their sleeves for one each year, the CDC says.
Getting sick with the flu can be dangerous. While most people recover, some can develop complications, such as sinus and ear infections, pneumonia, and inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), brain (encephalitis), or muscle (myositis, rhabdomyolysis). It can even be deadly.
Even people who are otherwise healthy can get the flu—and they can get very sick and possibly need to be hospitalized, Dr. Long says.
"The flu shot is just a very simple way to protect yourself from getting influenza but also to protect your friends, your family, your loved ones, your co-workers," he says.
Related StoriesThe Surprising "Side-Effect" Of Some Vaccinations
Source: Frank Merino / Pexels
Have you gotten the shingles vaccination? What about the flu vax? If so, I have good news and more good news for you...And your brain.
Of the many factors that contribute to healthy aging—exercise, diet, the gratitude attitude, and social connections, to name a few— the most surprising may be this one: Getting vaccinated. According to the latest research, getting vaccinated may contribute not only to your lifespan—the number of years you will live— but also to your healthspan—the amount of time you will live without major health problems, including cognitive decline.
LifespanTaking lifespan first, it's no secret that getting vaccinated contributes to a longer life for individuals who get them. Vaccinations have boosted average life expectancy for people around the globe. With vaccinations, you are completely or partially protected against at least 20 diseases. Moreover, getting "the jab" has other personal and public health advantages, such as:
While myths about vaccinations continue to circulate, including the long-discredited myth that vaccines cause autism, it is extremely rare for people to experience a serious side-effect from a vaccination.
HealthspanSo, getting vaccinated enables you to live a longer life. But now, several recent studies indicate that at least two vaccinations—the flu vax and the shingles vax—are also linked with a lowered risk of cognitive decline. While these studies show correlation, not causation, the results are striking. Here is the research:
The Flu Vaccine. In a giant nation-wide study from 2022, researchers compared over 900,000 flu-vaccinated patients with the same number of unvaccinated patients. The results: "During 4-year follow-up appointments, about 5.1 percent of flu-vaccinated patients were found to have developed Alzheimer's disease (whereas) 8.5 percent of non-vaccinated patients had developed Alzheimer's disease during follow-up." That amounts to a 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease just from getting the flu vaccination.
As I say in this post, "Why a flu shot might have a protective effect is not clear. Some experts speculate that vaccinations activate the immune system in a way that wards off or slows dementia processes."
The Shingles Vaccine. Recently, three studies, described by Elizabeth Cohen in the Washington Post here, indicated that the shingles vaccination also seemed to have a strong protective effect against dementia.
We don't hear much about shingles, so I was shocked to discover that shingles was not an uncommon illness. Shingles is widespread in the U.S., with one out of three people destined to get shingles in their lifetime. As described by Cohen, "The infection is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which can lie dormant in the nervous system. While rarely life-threatening, shingles causes distressing symptoms, including a painful rash with blisters that can last for several weeks. It can also lead to blindness and to neurological pain that can persist for months or years."
As for the connection to cognitive health, three studies point to similar benefits. In one, the study authors (who were affiliated with Glaxo Smith Kline, the makers of one type of shingles vaccination, the Shingrix vaccine) sorted through the medical records of hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. They discovered that in the five years following the vaccination, those who received the Shingrix vax were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than people in a control group who received a vax for a different illness.
Lest you worry that unconscious bias was involved in the above study, two other studies of the shingles vaccination from independent researchers also found brain benefits. For example, "researchers in the United Kingdom published a study in Nature Medicine looking at medical records of hundreds of thousands of people over six years and found that those who received Shingrix were 23 to 27 percent less likely to develop dementia compared with people who received vaccines against other diseases."
Another study, led by Stanford researchers, found similar results when they compared 282,000 people in Wales who received a different shingles vaccine (not Shingrix) to those who did not receive the vaccine. Specifically, those who received the vaccine had a 22.4% lower risk of a dementia diagnosis in the 7 years after being vaxxed.
In the end, the three studies show consistent results: Those vaccinated against shingles received a brain bonus—about a 20% lower risk of a dementia diagnosis.
The "How" of Brain Protection: TheoriesSo, shingles and flu vaccinations seem to possess the power to lower dementia risk, according to current research. But why and how?
One possibility is that just getting a serious disease like shingles or the flu could itself raise the risk of cognitive decline. Enduring and recovering from diseases take a toll on the body and brain. With regard to shingles, recent research provides some evidence for this theory.
Another possibility is that some cases of dementia could be traced to an infectious agent, such as a bacteria or virus. In the case of shingles, previous research suggests that the herpes virus, the virus that causes both chickenpox and shingles, might be the culprit. Shingrix and other vaxes dramatically decrease the reactivation of the herpes virus, reducing the risk for brain problems.
Other experts hypothesize that the flu and shingles vaccinations might stimulate the immune system in a particular way that decreases the chances of dementia.
Whatever the reason, it is exciting that researchers are expanding their ideas of what could cause dementia beyond the standard explanation of "aging."
ConclusionVaccinations are considered one of the greatest public health accomplishments of the 20th century. This recent research tells us that we may have even more reasons to grateful for them. Make a habit of keeping up with your vaccinations, and you might be rewarded in unexpected ways—longer lifespan, longer healthspan, and longer "brainspan."
(c) Meg Selig, 2024. All rights reserved. For permissions, click here.
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