Frequently asked questions about the flu vaccine

The flu is a respiratory infection caused by a virus. Influenza occurs most often during the winter and easily spreads from person to person. The flu season generally runs from October to May and usually peaks between December and February (Northern hemisphere). Most people who get the flu feel sick for a week or two and recover. In some people, influenza leads to more serious lung infections or to worsening of underlying conditions, such as heart failure or emphysema.

It’s recommended that everyone 6 months or older should get a yearly flu vaccine to protect yourself and other people around you. Those who have any of the following conditions are at high risk of becoming seriously ill from the flu:

• Kidney disease.
• Liver disease.
• Lung disease.
• Neurologic diseases.
• Diabetes.
• Heart problems.
• An illness that weakens the immune system, or if you are taking a medicine that weakens the immune system, thus making it hard for your body to fight illnesses.
• Blood disorders.
• Obesity.

You also have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from influenza if you:

• Are younger than 2 years, or over 65 years old.
• Are pregnant and for 2 weeks after delivery
• Are under 19 years old and must take aspirin regularly.
• Live in a nursing home.

If you work in a healthcare facility, you may transmit influenza to patients and other workers, but you are not at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill. The recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that everyone over the age of 6 months gets a flu vaccine if there are no contraindications. This includes individuals who are not at high risk.

The best time to get the flu vaccine is in the early autumn. It takes around 3 weeks for the vaccine to exert its protective benefits, so don’t delay receiving it.

Pregnant women should get a flu vaccine. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to an illness such as influenza. The immune system undergoes normal changes during pregnancy, which can increase the risk of complications from the flu. Pregnant women who acquire the flu are also at higher risk of pregnancy related complications, such as preterm labor, pneumonia, and serious illness requiring hospital admission.

Unlike adults, newborn babies cannot receive influenza vaccinations because it is only approved for people ages 6 months and older. Therefore, they need assistance in obtaining protective antibodies, which can be provided from their mother prior to their birth. If the mother receives a vaccine during pregnancy, the antibodies she generates will passively transfer from her to the baby, allowing the baby to be born with a blood stream full of this precious gift from mom. Without this protection, the baby is vulnerable to the influenza virus until they can receive their own flu vaccinations at 6 months.

The influenza vaccine is made from virus particles or inactivated virus that can’t transmit infection. However, it takes a week or two to develop full protection and many times a person can become sick during that short window while they’re waiting for the vaccine to take full effect. That can lead to the incorrect assumption that the vaccine caused their illness.

The vaccine reduces your odds of getting the flu from as high as one in four to one in 10 and protects you from the three influenza viruses that research indicates will be the most common during the upcoming flu season. People can still get the flu despite getting the vaccine if they’re exposed to a strain of influenza that doesn’t match at 100 percent but the severity is usually less because some immunity has been generated.

Just like the COVID virus which constantly evolves into new variants, the subtypes of the influenza virus also evolve and change into new “strains”. The H (hemagglutinin) protein and the N (neuraminidase) proteins on the surface of the influenza virus change their structure which helps them evade our immune system. Vaccines are modified every year to match the new protein structure that then teaches our immune system to recognize and target them to neutralize their ability to infect us.

There is also some waning, or lessening, of the strength of our body’s immune response over time after a vaccine. Each year’s influenza vaccine boosts that immune response and helps our immune cells remember how to fight the influenza virus.

Common side-effects of the flu vaccine include fatigue, mild fever, soreness, or runny nose. The risk of serious side-effects is about one in a million and there are medications to treat those side-effects. By comparison, you’re 100 times more likely to die in a car accident and 30 percent more likely to be struck by lightning.

While there may be trace amounts of egg proteins found in flu vaccines from the manufacturing process, people with egg allergies can safely receive any flu vaccine. If you are someone with an egg allergy and are still concerned about whether you should receive a flu vaccine, there are several egg free options of flu vaccine you can request.

Annual flu vaccines are covered by most health insurance plans, including Medicare Parts B and D as well as Medicaid. Please check with your insurance provider for questions about your medical benefits coverage.

Depending on your insurance and where you go, flu vaccines can vary in price. Most insurance plans will cover the flu vaccine as a preventive service, but make sure to check with your insurance and the facility you go to. For children who are on Medicaid or uninsured, make sure to go to a facility that is approved to give Vaccines For Children (VFC) vaccines. Uninsured adults can go to lower cost options such as local health departments or community health centers or check with a pharmacy which may be able to provide a self-pay discount.

Both the COVID and the Flu Vaccine can be given at the same time, but it is best to have them given in a different arm.