Getting a flu shot is the best thing that you can do to keep yourself from getting sick with influenza virus. However, getting a dose of flu vaccine does not mean that you are immune to the flu. Flu vaccination offers protection against flu virus — and it’s the most effective way to prevent the flu — but you can still get sick even after vaccination.
Nothing can prevent the flu, but getting a flu shot is the most effective way to protect yourself against flu virus. Flu vaccination provides several benefits for you, your family, and your community. Click To TweetWhy do some people get the flu after receiving a flu shot?
- It is possible to get the flu even if you receive a dose of flu vaccine. Flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness between 40% and 60%.
- Sometimes people are already exposed to flu virus before getting a flu shot.
- It may take a couple of weeks for a dose of flu vaccine to protect against the virus. Get your flu shot as soon as it is available.
- Some children require two doses of flu vaccine for protection against flu virus.
While it’s possible to get sick with the flu even after getting a flu shot, you can not get a flu infection from a flu vaccine. Some people may feel ill or have a reaction after a dose of flu vaccine, but this reaction is not a case of the flu.
If you can still get the flu after receiving a flu shot, why get a flu shot?
Vaccinating against the flu provides several benefits:
- It decreases the risk that you will get sick from the flu. Getting a flu vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the flu.
- Getting flu vaccine reduces the severity of flu symptoms if you do get sick.
- Flu vaccination reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from the flu.
- It helps prevent the spread of flu virus, keeping your family and community safe from the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7.1 million flu illnesses, 3.7 million flu-related medical visits, 109,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 8,000 flu-related deaths in the 2017-2018 flu season.
MANA clinics offer flu shots at several locations in Northwest Arkansas. Visit a MANA clinic or talk to your doctor to protect yourself — and those around you — from flu virus.
