This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, so if you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, now is the time! Many people assume they don’t need to get the flu shot. There is no shortage of misconceptions about it, and currently, it’s estimated that less than half of all Americans get vaccinated against the flu, although the number has been climbing each year. Read on for all you need to know about the flu shot, as well as answers to a few common flu vaccination myths.
What is influenza?
Many people think they have had “the flu” whenever they have an upset stomach, a fever and a cough. It’s easy to not take it seriously, because everyone gets the flu, right? No big deal. But this is a dangerous misconception. Influenza can be a serious illness that consists of fatigue, fever, muscle or body aches, possible vomiting or diarrhea, headaches, along with several other possible symptoms. There are also numerous potential complications that can occur as a result of getting the flu: respiratory tract infections, bacterial pneumonia, ear and sinus infections, dehydration, and it can also make existing health problems — such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and asthma — much worse. Influenza can also cause inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), brain (encephalitis) or muscle (myositis, rhabdomyolysis) tissues, along with multi-organ failure and sepsis.
It’s important to note that people die from influenza every year. You read that right: influenza can kill you. Every single year, 36,000 people die of influenza, and over 200,000 are hospitalized — and that’s just in the United States. A recent study showed that, between the years of 2004 and 2012, 835 children died from influenza and about half of them had no pre-existing conditions. Healthy people, including children, can and do die from the flu. Protect yourself and protect your family by getting vaccinated. Influenza is a serious disease, and it should be taken seriously.
How does the flu shot work?
The most common flu vaccine is the egg-based version, although others are available for people who are allergic to eggs. This vaccine has been in use for over 70 years and is known to be safe. Every year, scientists in over 100 influenza centers in countries all over the world conduct surveillance on influenza by testing thousands of samples from influenza patients. The laboratories send samples of the various viruses to five World Health Organization Collaborating Centers for Reference and Research on Influenza, where the data is analyzed. Twice a year, consultations take place where the scientists study the data derived from surveillance, laboratory and clinical studies, determining which strains of influenza to vaccinate against this year. This process is necessary, as influenza is a constantly mutating virus and the vaccine must be adjusted each year.
After determining which strains to vaccinate against, the candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs) are grown in hen’s eggs for several days to allow the virus to grow. The fluid containing the virus is then taken from the eggs, and the virus is then inactivated — or, in essence, killed — and the virus antigen is created. This year’s flu vaccine was created specifically to fight the viruses that are estimated to be most common this flu season.
Who needs to get a flu shot?
Everyone! Everyone six months or older can benefit from getting the flu shot. Influenza is a disease that anyone can get, and while certain people are at higher risk for more severe complications — babies, the elderly, the chronically ill and pregnant women — vaccinating helps prevent the spread of influenza. By vaccinating, you are not only helping to keep yourself safe from influenza, but you’re also strengthening herd immunity. Herd immunity protects people who cannot get vaccinated against a disease, and takes place when the majority of people in a population are vaccinated against a disease, thereby preventing an outbreak. And even if influenza does not leave you, personally, with serious side effects and complications, you don’t know who you could spread the virus to. You don’t need to have flu-like symptoms to spread the virus. So by getting vaccinated, you could potentially be saving someone’s life!
Getting the flu shot has a major effect on the population: The Center for Disease Control estimates that, during the 2012-2013 influenza season, vaccinations prevented 79,000 flu hospitalizations and 6.6 million flu-associated illnesses.
Is it too late to get the flu shot?
Absolutely not! Flu season lasts through May, so even though it’s December, it isn’t too late for you to get vaccinated. It takes about two weeks to build immunity to the disease after being vaccinated, and flu season hits its peak in January and February. If you get vaccinated in December, there’s still plenty of time to protect yourself. It’s also a good idea to be vaccinated before the holidays when you’ll likely be around a lot of family and friends.
Common Misconceptions About The Flu Vaccine
MYTH: The flu vaccine does not work. False. Some people will still get influenza, despite being vaccinated, and will point to this as “proof” that the vaccine does not work. But again, each year’s flu vaccine only protects against three to four viruses. If you catch influenza, despite being vaccinated, it could be because you caught a strain not included in this year’s vaccine. Or you may have been infected with the virus in the weeks before gaining immunity. Whatever the situation, it doesn’t mean that the flu shot doesn’t work. In fact, even if you do catch influenza, getting vaccinated can still help: Having the shot can greatly reduce the severity of the disease if you get sick. And even if it doesn’t work 100% of the time, that’s not an argument against getting the shot. Seat belts and car seats don’t prevent 100% of car accident deaths, but we still buckle up anyway, because some protection is better than no protection.
MYTH: The flu vaccine will get me sick. Some mild side effects are expected with the flu shot, mostly soreness or redness at the injection site. But the flu shot cannot give you the flu. Remember, the virus is killed before it’s used in the vaccine — though there is a live, albeit weakened, virus in the nasal spray. But first, the CDC is not recommending anyone use the spray this year, and second, the weakened virus cannot give you the flu, either.
MYTH: The flu vaccine contains dangerous ingredients like mercury, formaldehyde and antifreeze. It is true that the flu shot contains mercury and formaldehyde, but does that make it dangerous? Not in the least!
First, let’s tackle formaldehyde. Did you know that formaldehyde is a naturally occurring chemical? It exists in your body, right now. It is in the air we breathe. It is in plenty of fruits and vegetables — for example, pears and mushrooms both have higher levels of formaldehyde in them than the flu shot does. Are you going to stop eating pears because they contain formaldehyde? Of course not.
Second, we’ll talk about mercury. Multi-dose flu shots do contain thimerosol, which is a preservative, and it does contain ethylmercury. The idea of mercury may sound scary, because, well, it’s mercury. But there are actually different types of mercury. Ethylmercury is made up of larger molecules that cannot enter the brain, and it exits the body within a week. Methylmercury is the dangerous kind, a known neurotoxin that is frequently found in fish like tuna. Still not convinced? That’s okay: There are thimerosol-free options, too. All you have to do is ask for one.
Third, antifreeze? That isn’t in your flu shot at all. This myth came about because octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X-100 in Fluzone) or octoxynol-10 (Triton X-100 in Fluarix) are the chemicals used to inactivate, or kill, the virus in the vaccine. Polyethylene glycol is in antifreeze, and it sounds really similar, so that equals antifreeze in your vaccine, right? Wrong. Water is in antifreeze, too. But no one is going to stop drinking water, because that makes no sense. When it comes to chemistry, just one letter can make a huge difference. Something may sound like it’s the same thing, but that doesn’t mean that it is. The use of Triton X-100 is known to be safe, and its use does not equal antifreeze in your vaccine.
MYTH: The flu vaccine causes neurological disorders, nerve disorders, Alzheimer’s or other diseases. There is a lot of misinformation about the flu shot, particularly that it can cause numerous diseases. It does not cause Alzheimer’s — even the Alzheimer’s Association has debunked this one — and considering that the elderly are at a much higher risk than younger people for severe complications from the flu, this is a particularly deadly myth. The flu vaccine also does not cause vascular or cardiovascular disorders. On the contrary, it is known to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.
One persistent myth is that the flu shot can cause Guillain Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness and paralysis. This is somewhat based on fact, in that the 1976 H1N1 flu vaccine was linked to a higher rate of GBS, with 10 additional cases for every 1 million people vaccinated. After that, the GBS risk was highly studied, and studies since then have found no increased risk for GBS after getting the flu shot. It is now agreed upon by the medical community that there is no link between the flu shot and Gullain Barr syndrome. Know what is known to increase your risk for GBS, though? The flu.
There is also no evidence that the flu vaccine causes neurological disorders, but once again, we do know what can cause them. Influenza. The flu shot also doesn’t cause Bell’s palsy, something multiple studies confirmed.
MYTH: The flu vaccine is dangerous for pregnant women. It is actually recommended that all pregnant women get vaccinated against influenza. While pregnant, your immune system is weakened, making pregnant women more susceptible to catching the flu than other people. And because a pregnant woman’s immune system is weakened, she is not only at greater risk for getting the flu, but for the more severe complications that come with it. Influenza can also be dangerous for the mother’s baby. The flu is known to increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects and premature labor and delivery. The flu shot is a safe way to protect both yourself and your baby. The flu vaccine does not cause miscarriage or birth defects, and in fact, decreases those risks.
MYTH: The flu vaccine is just another source of massive profits for Big Pharma. Some people think that pharmaceutical companies are only out for profits, and therefore don’t care about the effectiveness of their vaccines. The flu shot is a huge source of revenue for Big Pharma, and so we can’t trust it. But the truth is, the flu vaccine is only a small part of pharmaceutical profits.
There are three major companies that manufacture flu vaccines: Sanofi Pasteur, Glaxo SmithKline and Novartis. In 2013, they made $3.1 billion in sales from the flu vaccine. Sounds like a lot, right? It is… until you compare that number to their overall profits, which in 2013, were almost $1 trillion. Pharmaceutical companies make more from cholesterol-lowering drugs than they do from the flu vaccine. With the flu vaccine in particular, profits can be especially tricky. Most vaccines aren’t only useful for one season, but the flu vaccine is. After that year’s flu season is over, any unused vaccines must be destroyed, and a new vaccine for the upcoming influenza season will be created.
And just for argument’s sake, if it was all about the profit, then it wouldn’t benefit the pharmaceutical companies to release an inferior product. If it was just about making as much money as possible, then injuring or killing their customers wouldn’t make pharmaceutical companies huge profits, would it? They have a vested interest in making sure that the flu vaccine is safe.
So there you have it — all the information you need about the flu shot. And what better time than National Influenza Vaccination Week to protect yourself and your family? You can go here to find where you can get your flu shot. Help fight the flu today!
