October 15, 2013                         Issue #8

Hello everyone. Today’s topic is Influenza and the Flu vaccine. I will outline the most commonly asked questions I get about Influenza and the vaccine:

When should I be vaccinated? Now! The best time is around Halloween, but if you miss getting your flu shot, I would still recommend it even as late as January as flu season has been known to extend into March in the past.

Who should be vaccinated? Everyone older than 6 months of age.

Who should NOT be vaccinated? Anyone with a past history of reactions to the flu shot or anyone allergic to eggs or egg products or anyone who has a past history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Can I catch the flu from the vaccine? This is a question we get all the time. Perhaps in the past it was possible, but with modern techniques, nothing is likely to survive the process they put the vaccine through. Unless a worker at the vaccine factory is purposefully sabotaging the process, it is very unlikely for you to catch influenza from the vaccine. The vaccine does trick your body into thinking it has the flu. So you will mount an immune response to the vaccine and may even develop mild fever and chills and body aches, but those symptoms tend to be short-lived and are not nearly as severe as full-blown influenza.

Can I take the flu shot even if I am sick with a cold? Yes. Getting the flu shot when you have a mild illness is still safe and effective.

What are symptoms of influenza? A sudden onset of fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, malaise, headache, cough, congestion. People will often describe it is feeling “like I was ran over by a truck”. The symptoms frequently last for several weeks, possibly even a month or two. This is why we strongly recommend the vaccine: to help prevent you from catching an illness that is so severe and lasts for so long.

Isn’t there an antibiotic for the flu? There is, but it doesn’t work that great and you have to get it within 2-3 days of the start of your symptoms. If you are sick with the flu for four days or more, the antibiotic (called Tamiflu) won’t help. Tamiflu is really more useful for preventing Influenza (i.e. it’s given to the other members of a household when one comes down with flu symptoms to help prevent the other household members from catching the flu).

Why bother vaccinating? Flu travels around the world in Pandemics and has been a significant killer of humans over the years. The worst was probably in 1918-1919 when it is estimated that 40% of the world was infected and 50 million people died from influenza. The 1957-58 flu pandemic also killed several hundred thousand people in the world. The most recent pandemic was in 2009-10 (the so-called “swine flu” that I’m sure many of you remember). The swine flu infected 80 million people and was responsible for 18,000 deaths worldwide. Medical science has advanced a lot since 1918 and a lot fewer people perish these days, but even though you are likely to survive the illness, it will make you absolutely miserable for several weeks/months if you catch it.

Who is at greatest risk? Small children, pregnant women, and the elderly (especially those with multiple medical problems) are at highest risk to perish from the flu. Also, adults or children who have an impaired immune system (i.e. chemotherapy), people with severe lung disease (like emphysema), and people with heart conditions are at higher risk than the average person.

Are there any other dangers in getting the vaccine? You may have heard of a condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It’s a rare condition where your muscles become so weak that you can’t walk. The weakness usually starts in the feet and moves to toward the central part of your body. People with severe Guillain-Barre have also developed weakness of their breathing muscles. Most of the time, Guillain-Barre is short-lived and most people recover from it. There was a high incidence of Guillain-Barre and the influenza shot from 1976, but recent studies have shown that there is not a high risk in the modern shot. The risk appears to be extremely low.

What brand of vaccine do you have? We have two types: a trivalent and a quadrivalent vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline (Brand name Flulaval). The trivalent protects against three strains and the quadrivalent protects against four strains of influenza. Both are safe and effective and we usually recommend the quadrivalent vaccine for people in the high risk group. Please note that we were unable to purchase the brand of vaccine that is indicated for babies. The brand we were able to purchase is only indicated for children 3 years of age or greater. For parents with children < 3 who desire to vaccinate them, we would refer you to the health department.

Can I get the flu shot when I’m pregnant? Yes, in fact, a pregnant woman is in the higher risk group and should definitely consider vaccination to help protect her and her baby.

Do children need two shots? Sometimes. If your child is less than 8 years old and she has never had the flu shot before, she will need to get the flu shot once and then a booster 4 weeks later. However, this only applies to children less than 8 who have never had a flu shot before. And you only do the booster on the first year she gets the shot. Next year, she only requires one like the rest of us.

Do I need an appointment to get my flu shot? Not if you’re an established patient at Paris Family Physicians and don’t have any other issues you wish to discuss. Walk-ins for the purpose of flu vaccine are welcome (just don’t come in between 12:30pm-1:30pm because we are closed for lunch). If you have other issues you wish to discuss, it’s wise to make an appointment and we can give the flu shot as part of that visit. We open at 8am on weekdays and close at 5pm.

Can I get more than one vaccine on the same day? Sure. If you are due for a pneumonia shot (given to those age > 65 with a one-time booster 6 years after the first pneumonia shot) or are interested in a shingles shot (given once for those age > 65) or if you’re due for a tetanus booster (given to all adults every 10 years), we can give them on the same day if you prefer.

Any other questions? If you have any other questions about the flu shot or influenza disease, please don’t hesitate to call and ask!

I hope you found this month’s newsletter helpful. Thank you as always for reading and for entrusting your health with us at Paris Family Physicians. I wish you the best in the upcoming holiday season.