It the current flu shot effective against this flu that is sweeping the country? Is the vaccine in shot form only, or is there an inhalant form? Tia Ed
This years vaccine is effective for this years strain of virus. Just got mine today. The needle is very small and you will not feel it. Takes 2-3 weeks to be effective. Don
I got this year's flu bug. It was pretty nasty--worse than the swine flu I got a couple years ago. It ruined Christmas and New Years for me. I would encourage you to get the shot.
With flumist, is there any chance of acquiring the flu from the live vaccine? Should a normal healthy adult/child with no deminished immune system get the vaccine at this late date? Btw, were in calif where the flu has not yet spread. Ed
Challenging question to answer. Are the number of cases in California still increasing--that could be a reason? Even though I'm a doc, and argue against this all the time (i.e. the flu shot cannot give you the flu--those people who get truly sick after it were either already getting sick, or picked up some similar virus). But, the one year I got the flumist (which is a live attenuated vaccine, as opposed to the shot, which is dead) I got very very sick with a flu like illness. Was it the flumist--meaning did I get a not very attenuated infection from the attenuated spray? Was I getting sick anyway? Did fighting the attenuated virus lower my immunity enough that I picked something else up? Who knows? Having said that, I would only (in most cases) do the shot and not the nasal spray.
I got a flu shot in my 20's and got the flu. I was sick for 10+ days. It was terrible, and I swore off the shot since then. I got this year's flu over Christmas break and was sick as a dog--this was even worse than the H1N1 swine flu I got a few years ago. I was kicking myself in the ass for not getting the shot. Today, I am in the hospital with a broken ankle. I spent some time yesterday researching the flu and the shot. Turns out the shot is a guess of the strain(s) scientists think will be active. So the shot protects you against them, but nothing else. So in my opinion, getting the shot offers little protection. I have not read that getting the shot will make a person more susceptible to other strains, although I expect that is the case based on the numerous people who get the flu after the shot.
I had the swine flu in 09 and then I had the flu last march, less than 12 months ago. So would the current shot offer new protection or is my flu from 10 months ago giving me natural protection? I had read about a universal flu vaccine being developed in England a couple years back that would only require 1 shot forever. I can not find the original story on it but these 2 are close; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142229/Researchers-closer-universal-flu-vaccine-fight-version-virus.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8871784/Universal-flu-vaccine-to-end-annual-jabs.html
+1; never too late for the flu shot, unless you HAVE THE FLU. I also got a pneumonia shot this year. I did not even know it existed until my Dr recommended it because I get pneumonia about once a year. The cool thing about the pneumonia shot is that you only need to get it twice; 1. Once below 65 yrs old 2. Second at 65, as a "booster". **I will say that the shot was a bit harder to get than the flu shot, and I barely slept for a week afterwards! It also felt like a truck hit my left arm, but its one time and I usually get 4-6 weeks of pneumonia yearly, so if it works I will take it.
Direct from the CDC website:http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/nasalspray.htm Can the nasal spray flu vaccine give you the flu? Unlike the flu shot, the nasal spray flu vaccine does contain live viruses. However, the viruses are attenuated (weakened) and CANNOT CAUSE FLU ILLNESS. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they are designed to only cause infection at the cooler temperatures found within the nose. The viruses cannot infect the lungs or other areas where warmer temperatures exist. Some children and young adults 2-17 years of age have reported experiencing mild reactions after receiving nasal spray flu vaccine, including runny nose, nasal congestion or cough, chills, tiredness/weakness, sore throat and headache. Some adults 18-49 years of age have reported runny nose or nasal congestion, cough, chills, tiredness/weakness, sore throat and headache. These side effects are mild and short-lasting, especially when compared to symptoms of influenza infection.
