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4 flu vaccine myths busted

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Holiday parties are around the corner, your schedule is filling up and the flu is starting to make the rounds. Should you still get a shot?

It’s always smart to be proactive. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and SIU Center for Family and Community Medicine recommend anyone 6 months old and older should get a seasonal flu vaccine. The “ounce of prevention” that is “better than a pound of cure” is actually a vaccine dosage of 0.5 mL for adults. For infants, the dosage is half the adult size: 0.25 mL.

Some common myths and misinformation tend to circulate whenever flu vaccinations are offered. Let’s look at four of the big ones and start to set the record straight.


Myth 1: The vaccine can give you the flu.

Flu vaccines are engineered in two ways, neither of which uses a live virus. One contains an inactive virus, resulting in a non-infectious vaccine. The second, called a recombinant influenza vaccine, includes no flu virus whatsoever. Common side effects of the vaccines may be mistaken for the flu. These include low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches. You might also experience some soreness at the injection spot.


Myth 2: It is better to get the flu instead of the flu vaccine.

The flu virus can lead to very serious complications resulting in hospitalization or even death. “The flu can be extremely harmful—especially in young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease and diabetes,” says SIU nurse practitioner Airn Etherton. “This vaccine helps to protect your body against the flu virus. Getting the flu vaccine is a much safer choice than risking serious illness.”


Myth 3: It is not necessary to get a flu vaccine every year.

“We recommend everyone get a flu vaccine every year,” Etherton says. Over time, the vaccination becomes less effective, leaving you less protected. An annual vaccination is the best defense for the flu virus that’s going around each year.


Myth 4: I should wait to get vaccinated so my immunity lasts throughout the flu season.

The CDC recommends people get vaccinated as soon as it becomes available. After being vaccinated, it can take about two weeks for antibodies that help protect your body against the flu virus to develop. It is best to get vaccinated before the flu virus is spreading throughout your community, but it is never too late to get vaccinated.

Call you doctor’s office or neighborhood pharmacy today to schedule a flu vaccination. Or call 545-8000 and ask for SIU Center for Family Medicine. Our team of providers will care for your whole family through flu season and beyond.
 

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