Hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received flu vaccines over the past 50 years, and there has been extensive research supporting the safety of flu vaccines.
Any virus particles in the vaccine in a flu shot are dead or inactive, and can’t give you the flu. A small percentage of people may experience pain at the injection site, low-grade fever (usually under 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and body aches in the 1-2 days after their flu shot. These are not the same as having the actual flu (trust us, the actual flu is definitely worse!).
The scientific community is very clear on this. There are over 30 studies confirming that there's no link between vaccinations and autism or any other neurologic disorders. In fact, vaccination can help prevent diseases that do cause neurologic disorders.
Everyone over 6 months old should get a flu shot every year, unless you have an allergy to the flu shot. Talk to your doctor first if you have had Guillain-Barre syndrome, have any life-threatening allergies, or if you’re not feeling well. Otherwise - go get a flu shot!
Pregnant women are at increased risk if they do get the flu, so it’s important that they get vaccinated.
There are lots of studies that show this. Everyone's risk of getting the flu is reduced by getting the shot. Even if there isn’t a perfect match between the viruses circulating and the year’s flu shot and you do get sick, you will have shorter and less severe illness if you've gotten the flu shot.
18 million people went to see a healthcare provider due to the flu, and nearly 38 million had the flu. That’s just last year. It’s a very serious illness that makes people sick and kills people.
It can take up to 2 weeks for your flu shot to give you protection from the flu, so you should get it ASAP to ensure you're protected. Any time from September on is a great time to get your flu shot.
Go get your flu shots today at your local pharmacy or healthcare provider!
Sources: Immunization Action Coalition; CDC