‘Tis the season for sniffles, groggy throats and itchy inner ears, and we don’t mean to sound like your GP here but… have you gotten your flu shot yet? The best time to get it is before the flu/cold strikes, advises Dr Gulam Karim, Medical Director at TruMD, an innovative healthcare platform that offers instant virtual consultations via a team of certified medical professionals and wellness experts.
Between 6 000 and 11 000 South Africans die from flu every year, according to the National Department of Health – and of these deaths, 50 percent of the cases strike the elderly. If you’re a bit on the hesitant side to get jabbed by a needle, we totes get it (after all, there’s just no getting used to a needle sting). The flu shot can leave you feeling crappy too with some mild side effects that usually disappear after a day or two. Let’s get down to the basics…
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What Is Flu?
First things first, flu is short for influenza. “It’s caused by a virus called haemophilus influenzae, which has different strains from year to year. These different strains develop into viruses that attack the immune system. The most vulnerable people are usually the elderly, young children and the undernourished,” explains Dr Gulam, stressing that good nourishment coupled with healthy lifestyle choices lessens one’s chances of a flu infection, but doesn’t necessarily make you immune to it.
There are also those populations that are more vulnerable than others, per Dr Gulam. “These are people with diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic illnesses such as autoimmune disorders or immune deficiencies such as HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis,” he says, adding that a normal flu virus usually lasts three to four days and goes away with just basic over-the-counter treatment.
“The percentage of people that die from influenza is very small – unless they have a concomitant disease that goes with it.”
What Exactly Is In A Flu Shot?
The flu vaccine is actually manufactured by using specific virus strains, says Dr Gulam. “Let’s assume that there were three different, but common, strains throughout the world in the previous year, then those three will be used to create a virus vaccine or an attenuated virus. The viruses are multiplied or intermarried millions of times, thereby making them weak. This intermarriage ensures that the next virus becomes weaker and weaker. The best time to get a flu shot is during autumn and before winter,” explains Dr Gulam, warning that some people do experience side effects. What’s injected into your body, in the form of a flu shot, does no harm as it’s a completely weakened virus, he adds. In addition, getting a flu vaccine after recovering from the flu is still encouraged. It helps protect you from other influenza strains and reduces the risk of future infections.
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Can A Flu Shot Replace Good Nutrition?
Definitely not, chimes in Dr Tamsyn Lee, Senior Medical Doctor at TruMD. “Nothing replaces good nutrition and a balanced lifestyle. Vitamin C and other micronutrients have alternative bodily functions other than protecting you against illnesses and pathogens,” says Dr Lee, urging that we think of the flu vaccine as a precaution rather. “It protects against serious illness and influenza complications such as pneumonia by preventing hospitalisation,” she warns.
Dr Gulam adds: “If the flu doesn’t improve after two to three days, we strongly recommend seeing a medical doctor. Nourishment, bed rest, and taking basic treatment to prevent the flu from becoming pneumonic are vital. Even if it’s a viral pneumonia, it just means that you need additional support until the virus strain is relieved. Doctors may administer oxygen and there may be a need for an antibiotic at that point because you don’t want it to progress to a bacterial infection.”
“It’s important to eat fresh vegetables and fruit during flu season.”
What Side Effects Should I Look Out For?
The more common side effects include things like a minor fever, muscle aches, headache, very mild flu-like symptoms, but they also don’t usually last longer than a day or two, says Dr Lee.
1. Shoulder soreness
If you receive the flu shot as an intramuscular injection (a.k.a. in your arm, typically), you have a 10 to 64 percent chance of experiencing some muscle soreness in your upper arm, according to the CDC.
That’s because the needle is injected directly into the muscle, causing microscopic damage to the cells, and is designed to cause an inflammatory immune system response. You can take an over-the-counter pain reliever while you wait for the soreness to fade, but if the pain is very noticeable or decreasing your mobility, Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician, recommends checking with your doctor.
2. Redness or swelling at the injection site
Anytime you pierce the skin and put something into the body, it can cause a topical reaction, says Dr Adalja. This is just a sign that your immune system is activating. But the redness and swelling where your shot was administered is a common side effect that typically only lasts a few days. It’ll go away on its own, but if it’s really bugging you, you can take ibuprofen or paracetamol.
3. Body aches
Any vaccine can cause body aches because of the way in which they activate the immune system, says Dr Adalja. If you’re feeling sore in places other than your arm, it’s usually nothing to worry about, though Dr Adalja notes that the flu shot does take two weeks to become fully effective – so your body aches could be a sign of the actual flu, since viral strains are probably circulating around the time you get the vaccine.
“The flu shot does take two weeks to become fully effective…”
4. Itching at the injection site or a full-body rash
This would signal an allergic reaction, but “it’s very rare to have an allergic reaction to the flu shot,” notes Dr Adalja. “There are lots of myths about egg allergies and the vaccine,” he explains – because most flu shots and nasal sprays are manufactured using technology that involves small amounts of egg proteins, as the CDC explains.
“If you can eat scrambled eggs, you’re not going to have a problem with the flu shot,” says Dr Adalja. If you have a confirmed egg allergy, you can likely still get the shot, per the CDC.
That said, if you experience severe itching at the injection site, a rash all over your body, or signs of anaphylactic shock, seek immediate medical attention. And if you’ve had an allergic reaction to the flu shot in the past, you are among those few groups of people who the CDC recommends skip the flu shot.
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5. Fever
You probably won’t get a fever because of the vaccine, but if you do, it should be low-grade (i.e. less than 38 degrees). If it’s higher than that, don’t blame your flu shot – you probably have a totally unrelated illness. “Remember that you’re getting the vaccine at the height of respiratory virus season,” says Dr Adalja. “So you may have been incubating another virus [without knowing it].”
And once again (for the people in the back!): The flu shot cannot give you the flu. While some flu vaccines contain virus strains, they’re not live strains, so they can’t get you sick. Meanwhile, some flu shots don’t contain the virus at all (they only contain a specific protein from the influenza virus), per the CDC.
6. Dizziness or fainting
This is less a side effect of the vaccine itself and more a side effect of a needle phobia, explains Dr Adalja. If you think you might have a stress reaction or faint, give your health care provider a heads up so they can make sure you stay seated after the shot to prevent injury.
“If flu vaccine side effects worsen, last longer or don’t respond to basic symptomatic treatment like paracetamol, fluids and bedrest, then it is advisable to seek medical intervention as soon as possible.”
At What Point Should I Start Taking My Side Effects Seriously?
Very important to note is that if the symptoms worsen, last longer or don’t respond to basic symptomatic treatment like paracetamol, fluids and bed rest, then it is advisable to seek medical intervention as soon as possible. “A very rare side effect is probably an anaphylactic or allergic reaction. This is why it’s important for doctors to take a patient’s medical history to ensure that they don’t have something like an egg protein allergy,” says Dr Lee.
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Not Keen On The Flu Jab?
A healthy and balanced diet can still do wonders by boosting your immune system and helping fight off flu (and other infections), notes Dr Karim. Just ensure that your diet has enough vitamins C and B6, zinc, iron, selenium, amongst other nutrients.
“The problem is that a lot of our food is modified – and sometimes we don’t really know what we’re eating. It’s important to eat fresh vegetables and fruit during flu season. These usually have all the vitamins needed to maintain a healthy immune system,” says Dr Karim. He adds that certain illnesses such as flu are so commercialised that people go into a frenzy about vitamin C supplements when they can simply eat oranges. In addition to good nutrition, Dr Lee stresses the importance of precautionary measures such as basic handwashing, keeping a safe distance between yourself and others, cleaning surfaces regularly, amongst others.
