It’s the season for sneezing: protect yourself – and everyone around you – by getting a flu shot
Everything you need to know about the flu shot; the best thing you can do for your health
It may feel like flu season is still months away, but it’s actually exactly the time to start thinking about a flu shot. Even if you don’t typically get one, last year’s horrendous flu season – during which thousands were hospitalized – should be enough to convince you. A vaccine is the best line of defense against the flu, but a huge number of Americans still choose not to get one; almost always because of myths or misconceptions. Here’s everything you really need to know about the flu shot.
It won’t give you the flu, it will just help your body build an immune response
Perhaps the most common misconception people have about the flu vaccine is that it can give you the flu. That’s impossible, thanks to the way the vaccine is developed. Parts of the flu virus are used to build up your immunity, but you’re not getting a dose of an intact, live virus. Plus, it takes up to three weeks for the vaccine to actually become effective, so if you do get sick immediately after getting a flu shot, it just means you were already coming down with something.
So, how does the flu shot actually work? According to Dr. Peter Catinella, department chair at Family Medicine-Transmountain at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, it’s more like an early warning system.
“The shot works by building an immune response – think of it as your body receiving signals in advance of the infection,” Catinella said. “It uses those signals to build an army of reserve fighting cells. Then, if you get infected with the actual flu, those fighting cells immediately go into action to fight off the infection. This is what protects against the flu spreading to the brain and lungs, which causes death from the flu.”
Most people should get the flu shot, but some need it more than others
“While everyone is at risk for getting or spreading the flu, some people are at higher than average risk,” said Catinella. According to him, some of these include:
- Children 6 months to under 5 years old
- Those who are 65 years and older
- Women who are pregnant
- People living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities
- People who suffer from asthma, heart disease (congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease or congenital heart conditions), epilepsy, cerebral palsy, stroke, COPD or cystic fibrosis
- Those who are extremely overweight (who have a BMI equal to or greater than 40)
Because of the waiting period between getting the shot and actually being protected against the flu, the best time to get one is long before your friends and neighbors start sniffling. It’s recommended that you get a shot by or before the beginning of November. Regardless, it’s never too late, and the stakes are high.
You need a flu shot even if you’re healthy, for the people around you
While small children and the elderly are the most susceptible to the flu – or any virus – it can also easily level an otherwise healthy adult.
“The flu vaccine not only protects the vaccinated person from getting the flu; it protects everyone around them,” said Catinella. “We can’t always know the health status of everyone we contact, for example someone may be in a waiting live with cancer or HIV, who cannot get the vaccine. By protecting ourselves, we protect them too.”
Plus, your everyday habits may be increasing your chances of catching the nasty bug: smartphones, with their smooth plastic and metal surfaces, are an ideal breeding ground for viruses, so you may be constantly touching and pressing a veritable petri dish to your face. Flu shot or not, Catinella says there are other ways to protect your family, which include “handwashing for 20-30 seconds with soap and water and cover one’s mouth and nose when coughing by coughing into one’s elbow rather than hand.”
It’s easy to find, and it’s cheap – or even free
You don’t even need to make a doctor’s appointment to get a flu shot. Almost all major drug stores offer vaccinations, and so do many grocery stores. The only time you do need to see your doctor before getting a flu shot is if you have an egg allergy, since many vaccine formulas include a small amount of egg protein. And for most people, cost isn’t a barrier, either. Almost all public and private health insurance plans cover the flu vaccine, and for the uninsured a flu shot typically costs less than $20.
It protects against serious health problems.
The flu is dangerous. “Last year’s flu epidemic claimed the lives of 80,000 Americans; that is the highest mortality since 1976,” Catinella said. “Less than half (47%) of Americans who could have been protected by the vaccine actually got last year’s vaccine.”
Getting a flu shot also might do more than keep you from getting influenza. It could also prevent a much more serious medical emergency. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults who got a flu shot lowered their chances of having a heart attack or stroke within the next year by 36%. In people who have plaque build-up in their arteries, the inflammation that accompanies the flu can dislodge blood clots. If you’ve been vaccinated, it’s not an absolute guarantee that you won’t get the flu. But if you do, your symptoms, including that inflammation, will be far less severe. So even if you think flu symptoms are no big deal, the shot may be worth it to protect your heart.
Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso is the region’s largest multispecialty medical group practice, with approximately 250 specialists and subspecialists providing care for the entire family at several convenient locations across El Paso. To find a location to schedule your flu shot, visit eptexastechphysicians.org
Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY Network were not involved in the creation of this content.