Did you get the flu this season, even though you were vaccinated?
As of February 9, the CDC estimated 7.2–8.4 million people
sought
medical treatment due to flu-like symptoms.
First, understand that getting an annual flu shot is strongly recommended and your healthcare professional can determine a best choice for you. Virus strains can be different each year, explaining the need for annual vaccination.
How the Flu Vaccine Makes a Difference
Your immune system is the key to protecting you from many diseases – Influenza is no different.
When flu virus enters the body of an unvaccinated person, the immune system produces antibodies to fight the invader. However, this person’s body has never “seen” the flu. It will take several days for their immune system to build enough white blood cells to fight Influenza. Meanwhile, the virus multiplies and flu symptoms begin.
Contrast this with a vaccinated person exposed to flu. Because virus in the vaccine is weakened or inactivated, you develop protective antibodies without getting sick. Now your body can fight the invading virus with a ready arsenal. Your chances of contracting “full-blown” flu are drastically reduced.
And the (Short) Answer is…
Antibodies are like puzzle pieces, needing to fit onto the invading virus to properly do their job. If there’s an exact match, your chances of getting the flu are significantly reduced. If the white cells only partially fit to or recognize the virus, you may still get sick. In this case, symptoms and length of illness will be much less compared with an unvaccinated person.
Facts About Influenza
- You can have the flu with NO fever.
- You can catch the flu October–May. Since 1982, the US peak month for flu activity is February.
- Shots are generally effective against the virus about two weeks after vaccination.
- There are several types of vaccines,
including high-dose versions for people age 65+.
Ask your health care provider about flu and other vaccine schedules. - According to the CDC, the flu vaccine can reduce your risk of contracting the flu by 40–60%.
- The CDC DOES NOT consider antiviral drugs a substitute for the vaccine.
What About Other Vaccines?
Other scheduled childhood vaccinations and immunizations work in a similar way. By introducing a very small amount of treated virus, the body builds immunity to the more dangerous version.
Modern vaccinations have nearly eliminated many dangerous and debilitating diseases, including polio. Members of Rotary International campaign to “End Polio Now” and travel hundreds of miles to distribute vaccinations to at-risk populations. Meanwhile, we are now seeing populations of children without vaccines experiencing “outbreaks” of both measles and chicken pox in the US.
Any risk in receiving vaccines is minimal and rare when compared to the effects of full exposure without protection.
Talk to your Health Care Professional about the best vaccine choices for you.
Sources:
CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
Consumer Reports
NIH (National Institutes of Health)
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/prinvac.pdf
I had the High dose flu vaccine on October 26, 2018 four weeks ago I was diagnosed with Type A flu and sinusitis, I was given Levaquan for 10 days, Prednisone for five days and tussalori pearls for the coughing. I have had the flu twice before, but I have never been this sick, I had a low grade fever and was so weak I was unable to do anything. It was three and a half weeks before I recuperated enough to do simply chores. I lost 10 pounds from Friday to Monday when I was first diagnosed. As I said I have never been this sick, my husband and son had the flu also but made a quick recovery. We all three had the flu shot.
Sorry to hear that all of you had the flu, even though you were vaccinated, and I appreciate you sharing your story. The same thing happened to me! According to the CDC, influenza A (H3N2) has a tendency to mutate enough to impact the effectiveness of the vaccine for this strain ONLY. Even though the vaccine and the “wild” virus H3N2 weren’t a perfect match, you could have been much sicker with no protection at all. And, effectiveness of other virus strains in the vaccine are not impaired by this tendency with influenza A (H3N2). This is why you should ABSOLUTELY continue to receive yearly flu vaccines as your doctor recommends. Perhaps next year you can ask your healthcare provider the pros and cons of taking a vaccine using technology not including eggs in the manufacture process. See the link to a great Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) article.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm#why_flu_vax_less_effective_against_H3N2