He has been getting flu shots for five years, and he can’t remember getting sick. That’s why David Morin is “first in line” every fall to inoculate himself with what are actually deactivated flu viruses.
“Some people are concerned about flu shots when they hear what’s in the shot,” said Morin, 35, a registered nurse who has easy access to the flu vaccine because he administers it to employees at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. “But they are killed viruses; they cannot multiply in your system.”
Another common misconception about flu shots is they can actually give you the flu. Nearly everyone has heard the tale from a friend or co-worker: “I got a shot, then I got the worst case of the flu.”
Morin said some patients experience side effects from the shots. The most common is soreness in the area of injection, while about “1 to 5 percent” develop mild symptoms such as aches, pains and low-grade fever.
“People who report a case of flu after the shot also concede they are already overtired or sick or fighting something anyway,” Morin said.
In any case, the most confusion about flu shots is who should get them–and thereby take advantage of the many free community and work inoculation programs in the Chicago area.
Research shows the vaccine has been successful in protecting against influenza viruses in the 50 years it has been used in this country. Even so, the flu is associated with up to 40,000 excess deaths and 150,000 excess hospitalizations each year–and about $12 billion in consumer expenses.
There are several high-risk groups for which the shots are uniformly recommended. “Complications tend to be worse for people over 65, diabetics and patients with respiratory and cardiovascular problems,” said Dr. Robert Golden, an internist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “The infection can be more profound and lead to serious illnesses, such as pneumonia, or even death. They should get shots each year and so should their spouses or anyone else living in the household.”
Golden said people with immune deficiencies and kidney disorders should consider flu shots for similar reasons, although UCLA researchers reported in August that the flu vaccine triggers a brief but dramatic rise in HIV levels among affected patients. The HIV level is about 10 times greater than normal, possibly leaving the body more susceptible to the onset of AIDS, according to the UCLA scientists.
On the other hand, the shot is generally not recommended for pregnant women and children under 9.
Anyone who works in a public service institution, such as hospitals, schools and government service bureaus also are candidates for flu shots.
“People want to keep going and work through the day even when they are sick,” Morin said. “But if they have the flu, they might take another six or eight people down with them before they finally do stay home with it.”
“It’s looking more like an option for anyone interested in avoiding serious illness,” Golden said. “There’s no downside, provided you are not allergic to eggs,” since the vaccine is cultured in egg proteins.
Golden dismissed the notion that flu shots might actually leave a younger person more vulnerable to flu strains later in life, similar to how today’s prevalent use of antibiotics is creating “superbacteria” that are impenetrable to medication.
“The flu shot is different from an antibiotic because it is merely a stimulus to help the body’s immune system recognize the flu virus and fight it more effectively,” Golden said.
This year’s flu vaccine contains the deactivated viruses of two varieties of Type A influenza strains, one from Texas and one from Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Type B strain from Beijing. These flu viruses are considered to last longer than other strains–from several days to two weeks–and are expected to be most prevalent this season.
A fever is the most reliable signal of the flu, differentiating it from the common cold. Other symptoms are chills, headaches, dry cough, muscle aches and, perhaps most dramatically, nausea.
Golden said he gives shots to hundreds of patients each fall, especially elderly patients now that the vaccine is in its second year of coverage by the Medicare program.
“From mid-October to mid-November is the best time to get a shot if you choose to get one,” he said. “It affords you the most protection at the height of the flu season.”
For Chicagoans over age 65 or with chronic illnesses, the city offers free flu shots. Call 312-747-9884 for more information.
