5 Common Flu Myths Busted

Getting a flu shot is your best protection against the flu. Let's clear up some common misunderstandings.

1. Truth: You cannot get the flu from the vaccine – plain and simple. Despite the ongoing myth that the vaccine can give you the flu, it can’t.

   Flu vaccines use killed (inactivated) or weakened (attenuated) viruses. So, while the vaccine helps your body produce an immune response, it cannot cause infection or illness. 

   If you get sick shortly after getting a flu shot, it’s likely you were already exposed to the virus. It takes two weeks for your body to build up protection after receiving a flu shot.

2. Truth: Just because you notice symptoms after getting the flu shot doesn’t mean it’s made you sick.

   You may have mild side effects like a sore arm or redness where the shot was given. Some people develop muscle aches or fatigue and, in rare cases, a low-grade fever or headache. These side effects are short-lived, only lasting a day or two and they are a sign that your immune system is doing its job.

   Be sure to talk with your health care professional if you have had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past. 

   Bottom line: Most side effects from the vaccine fade against the high risk of severe illness or possible death from the flu. 

3. Myth: I got a flu shot last year, so I don’t need another.

   Yes, you do, and here’s why: The viruses that the flu vaccine is designed to protect us against change from year to year.

   New vaccines are made each year (they take least six months to produce!) to match the strains (or types) of influenza viruses that research suggests will be the most common. So, in a sense, last year’s flu shot is old news.

   Even if the predicted virus is a similar type to what was seen the year before, your level of protection, or immunity, against that virus wanes over time. 

   Any flu infection increases the chance of complications, hospitalization or death. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to get vaccinated every year. 

4. Myth: It’s too late to get vaccinated once the flu season starts.

   If you have heart disease, it’s best to get a flu shot ideally by the end of October. This way, you’ll be protected when the flu season begins.

   But even if winter rolls around or the flu season has kicked into high gear, it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

   Although the flu season usually begins in October and peaks sometime between December and mid-February, flu activity can occur into March and even April. Getting the flu vaccine at any point in the flu season can still protect you from getting sick.

5. Myth: The flu shot doesn’t really work. I got sick after getting it.

   The flu vaccine doesn’t provide complete protection. Labs make new vaccines each year to fight the three-to-four types of flu virus that scientists predict will be most common during the next flu season.

   Flu viruses are constantly changing, so some years the flu vaccine is a better match than others. 

   But the flu shot is proven to reduce your likelihood of getting the flu, and if you do get sick, the illness will be much milder. That’s good news when you think about the fact that the flu lasts an average of 5-7 days plus residual fatigue! It also reduces the chance that you will have heart-related or other complications or end up in the hospital.

   And experts say some protection is better than none. 

   Bottom line: Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself – and your heart – from the flu. Avoiding people with diagnosed flu and washing your hands frequently can also help you avoid getting sick this flu season.