But thats not the impression you might get if you listen to the rumor mill, online or otherwise.
Flu shot myths abound, and its time to put the four biggest ones to rest.
(There were multiple studies done, whichthe CDC collected in a report here.)
So why are flu shots not always effective?
(Thats what happened in 2014, when the shot was only 23% effective.)
Some people dont respond well to the vaccine.
Other factors and health conditions can affect how well youll respond.
But healthy people are justless likelyto get seriously ill; theyre not invincible.
That means plenty of people think theyve had the flu when really theyve had something else.
In general this figure can be anywhere between3,300 to 49,000 per year.
For comparison, around30,000 people die in car crashes.
Those people are the most vulnerable to flucomplicationslike pneumoniaand the most likely to die from flu.
That last one is the only flu vaccine that has an actual virus that can replicate.
It replicates in your nose, triggers an immune response, and then it’s gone.
Inrare casesthe nasal flu vaccine can give people a mild flu-like illness, butit cannot cause full-blown flu.
But remember, we tend to misremember and misunderstand our own experiences.
You may remember getting sick, figure that was the flu, and blame the flu shot you got.
Like we said above, its not perfect.
Maybe you got very mild flu-like symptoms after the shot.
This isnt super common but it happensand itsnotthe actual flu.
Remember, flu tends to be pretty long-lasting and severe.
Maybe you didnt get the shot soon enough.
Overall, side effects from the flu shot are minimal to nonexistent for most people.
Its recommended for almost everyone else.
Better early (or late) than never.
It will still protect you for however much of the flu season remains.
Thats why earlier is better.
Youre less likely to get sick, and less likely to fall prey to this particular myth.
