It’s Not Too Early to Get a Flu Shot

Alessandra Kelley

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It’s only anecdotal, but my whole family has or has just gotten over the flu. The end of August is way earlier than I had ever heard for flu season to start, so be aware!

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/10/cdc...for-another-potentially-nasty-flu-season.html

Summer may still be lingering, but federal health officials are already urging people to start prepping for another potentially nasty flu season after last year's was particularly deadly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 700,000 people were hospitalized with the flu during last season, with epidemic levels of influenza or pneumonia for 16 consecutive weeks. Some 180 children died from the most recent bout of flu. The vaccine isn't perfect, but it offers the best protection against what can be a dangerous illness, the CDC said. About 80 percent of the children who died from the flu last season weren't vaccinated.

Drugstores began rolling out this year's batch of vaccines in recent weeks. Most carry shots that protect against four influenza strains. There are almost a dozen different flu vaccines on the market, and the exact brand drugstores carry can vary depending on who they buy from. Seniors are usually given a high-dose formula.

CDC recommends babies older than six months get vaccinated, either with a traditional shot or, for those two years or older, a nasal spray called FluMist.

We didn’t even realize we had the flu at first, it was so early in the season. We thought it was just a bad cold.

The CDC’s page of flu symptoms and complications

Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:

fever*
cough
sore throat
runny or stuffy nose
body aches
headache
chills
fatigue
sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
 

Alpha Echo

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Wow. August is WAY too early! I thought it was early to get my flu shot, but I did get it a couple weeks ago when I went to CVS to pick up a prescription. I'll spread the word!
 

Cobalt Jade

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I forgot to get a flu shot last year, and got the flu over the Christmas holiday. I thought I was dying! Never again.
 

MaeZe

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CDC weekly flu surveillance report

Not a lot of flu activity yet.

Typically flu starts with a headache and body aches. The fever is usually over 101F for adults, kids get higher fevers with other respiratory illnesses as well as flu.

Sudden onset, cough and aches are predominant features of flu. When you are in bed with that cold because it's so severe, that might be flu.

Sore throat, low-grade fever, and runny nose when it's not flu season is usually another upper respiratory pathogen.


And while we're here, it's important to get that Tdap which includes a vaccine for pertussis or whooping cough. If your last tetanus shot was before 2005, you got a Td and not a Tdap.

In 2005, a pertussis vaccine for adults was added to the tetanus/diphtheria vaccine. Before that time there was no vaccine for anyone over age 7. Teens and adults were losing their pertussis immunity and we started having epidemics again. For an adult, pertussis is called the 100 day cough, so it's very unpleasant. But for kids under 5 and especially under age 1, it can be fatal. And at those young ages, full pertussis immunity is incomplete. That means we have to vaccinate people around young kids to protect them.

Pertussis begins as a mild cold. The coughing starts about a week later. That means people are contagious for a week before they realize they have pertussis. It is treatable with antibiotics but that doesn't stop the coughing.


And another respiratory pathogen to think about is RSV. Along with flu season comes RSV season. If you have a cold prevent spreading it to others, especially the very young and very old. Hand washing, cover your cough (not with your hand), and keep about 3 feet away from people when you are ill. Droplets from talking spread to others if you are close to their faces.
 
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blacbird

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It's not too early, but be aware that flu shots taken early may not be effective throughout the entire flu season. I got one in August of last year, and by my medical exam in December, my doctor recommended taking another one, for that reason. Which I did.

caw
 

CindyB

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I got mine in the beginning of August as soon as we got them in. (I work in a pharmacy).
 

MaeZe

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It's not too early, but be aware that flu shots taken early may not be effective throughout the entire flu season. I got one in August of last year, and by my medical exam in December, my doctor recommended taking another one, for that reason. Which I did.

caw

Yes, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems especially need medical advice on flu shot timing.


Also, again while we're here :tongue, the nasal spray has been allowed back on the market but it is not recommended for anyone who has a medical problem making them more at risk for flu complications.

When the live vaccine first came out there were reports that young people got a better immune response. Then three years ago the vaccine was so ineffective the FDA withdrew approval for the subsequent two years. This year they've allowed the vaccine back on the market but with the caveat it should only be used by otherwise healthy people who are petrified of shots.
 
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Twick

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Yeah, I got an early one last year, and got the flu in March.
 

Roxxsmom

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It does seem like a lot of people I know are already getting sick. I don't know if it's the flu out here yet, but the season of various malaises (colds, bronchitis, stomach bugs) seems to be starting early this year.

I usually get mine in October.
 

MaeZe

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It does seem like a lot of people I know are already getting sick. I don't know if it's the flu out here yet, but the season of various malaises (colds, bronchitis, stomach bugs) seems to be starting early this year.

I usually get mine in October.

It's not the flu. And yes there is something going around.

Starts with the kids going back to school. The one or two sporadic summer viruses spread among the kids. They go home and share it with their parents who then go to work and spread it around the office.

Every September, like clockwork, the community gets an upper respiratory infection.

CDC has not yet started its weekly surveillance. Looking back at last year there were cases year round and by Oct the map showed sporadic cases in every state.

When will flu activity begin and when will it peak?
The timing of flu is unpredictable and can vary in different parts of the country and from season to season. Seasonal flu viruses can be detected year-round; however, seasonal flu activity often begins as early as October and November and can continue to occur as late as May. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and February.
 

MaeZe

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CIDRAP is another organization that tracks the flu and I'm reminded not everyone here lives in the northern hemisphere.

Flu Scan for Aug 08, 2018
Southern Hemisphere flu activity; Flu vaccine strain mismatch


The mismatch study looked at a couple decades of data.
The researchers found that Northern Hemisphere vaccine strains were closely matched with circulating strains for 7 (20.6%) of 34 seasons for H3N2 and 5 (14.7%) of 34 seasons for influenza B. For the Southern Hemisphere vaccine, the rates were 14.7% for H3N2 and 11.1% for influenza B.

Strain drift among seasons was 41.2% for H3N2 and 35.3% for influenza B. In addition, biannual vaccination strategy—administering Northern Hemisphere vaccines in November followed by Southern Hemisphere vaccines in May—did not improve match rates.

There are also a couple of studies looking at loss of protection with time. It's a dilemma. You want protection to start before flu season, but that might mean Oct, and you want it to last through the season which might be April or May.

Intra-season Waning of Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (only the abstract)
Conclusions
Our results suggest that effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine wanes during the course of a single season. These results may lead to reconsideration of the optimal timing of seasonal influenza vaccination

Study: Flu vaccine protection starts to wane within weeks


None of this should discourage people from getting vaccinated. Even imperfect protection gives people milder cases of the flu.
 
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blacbird

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When the live vaccine first came out there were reports that young people got a better immune response. Then three years ago the vaccine was so ineffective the FDA withdrew approval for the subsequent two years. This year they've allowed the vaccine back on the market but with the caveat it should only be used by otherwise healthy people who are petrified of shots.

There is no standard "flu vaccine" in the way that there is a standard Salk polio vaccine. Every year the vaccine needs to be remade to fight the strain of influenza virus that is anticipated to be a problem. Last year, the vaccine didn't actually work as well as was hoped. But every year it is a little different.

caw
 

MaeZe

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There is no standard "flu vaccine" in the way that there is a standard Salk polio vaccine. Every year the vaccine needs to be remade to fight the strain of influenza virus that is anticipated to be a problem. Last year, the vaccine didn't actually work as well as was hoped. But every year it is a little different.

caw
Just to add to this, not contradict it:

The W.H.O receives samples influenza virus around the globe year round. Genetic changes are monitored (genetic drift) as well as any new or re-emerging strains. It's actually fascinating how much we know about viral evolution because the flu virus is monitored so thoroughly.

When the virus infects a cell it divides into nine segments. The segments replicate the recombine before emerging to infect new cells. When a person or animal is infected with more than one strain, the segments can mix and one gets a mixed virus like part swine and part human strains. (shift)

The WHO is also the repository for the vaccine strains. Every six months a new recommendation is made as to which strains the vaccine should contain based on what is actually circulating. Drug manufacturers then use the WHO virus stocks to begin manufacturing the vaccine for that year. In the Northern hemisphere the recommendation is made ~Jan and manufacturing begins. In the southern hemisphere the recommendation is made ~June.

The vaccine used to all be cultured in eggs, the virus was then killed and the vaccine made from it. More recently recombinant flu vaccine has been developed. Recombinant flu vaccine is grown in insect cells. Current vaccine supplies are of both types. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/cell-based.htm

There's also a cell-based vaccine I know very little about. I don't use a brand that uses that technique.

I posted a link above to a study of vaccine effectiveness in the last decade or so. Some protection is still better than none.
 
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Got mine today. People are out sick all over work the past few weeks, and I thought better safe than sorry, especially as it was free at the pharmacy.
 

neandermagnon

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I'm still waiting for my work to give out the voucher codes for the free flu jabs. One of the bosses on my floor was off sick earlier this week - hopefully not the flu but if it's spreading early this season probably they need to get a move on with giving us the voucher codes.

That said, it's only a tenner in Boots. Just I'd rather have my voucher code and save the tenner. I'm not exactly rich.

Also, on the subject of flu-like symptoms, be alert to the symptoms of sepsis and meningitis, often mistaken for flu (or can occasionally be complications of flu.)
 

Maggie Maxwell

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I work in a school/hospital system, so we're required to get flu shots, and they bring them around to the various offices annually around this time of year. Had to wait for half an hour in a line fifty people deep on Thursdays, but I got my shot. I swear, Flu Shot Day lines can be worse than Disney World XD
 

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Just got mine today. With elderly grandparents and the very good possibility I'll be an auntie in the next year, I figure I'd better stay as protected as possible.

I appreciate that info on possibly waning effectiveness. Didn't know that was a possibility. I'll have to have a chat with my GP about whether or not I need to revaccinate in the late winter/early spring.
 

Roxxsmom

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I got mine yesterday. I teach at a community college, and I can't afford to get an ailment that could put me on my back for a week or more. I wish all of my peers, including my husband, agreed. The latter is always "too busy" to go to the doctor, even to get a flu shot.

I also wish we could convince more of our students to get flu shots (both for themselves and any kids they might have), because there's not much I can do for someone who misses a week or more of class and is now hopelessly behind. We have them available to students for free at the campus health center, but I think we should make them even more accessible and have vaccination stations in the quad, the cafeteria, and in the library and tutoring centers--any place students congregate outside of class. Heck, they could even set up stations in the corridor outside our classrooms.
 

waylander

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I also wish we could convince more of our students to get flu shots (both for themselves and any kids they might have), because there's not much I can do for someone who misses a week or more of class and is now hopelessly behind. We have them available to students for free at the campus health center, but I think we should make them even more accessible and have vaccination stations in the quad, the cafeteria, and in the library and tutoring centers--any place students congregate outside of class. Heck, they could even set up stations in the corridor outside our classrooms.

Do it during lectures.
 

Myrealana

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We're getting them in the office Friday.

With my mom having had Guillain-Barre a few years ago, she can't get a flu shot, and has to carefully avoid catching it, in case it causes another flare-up. Everyone around her has to get the shot to protect her.
 

BenPanced

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I had my semi-annual exam on Wednesday and went with my gut to get the shot. I've been having a scratchy throat and minor cough lately, thinking I might be coming down with something (thank you, woman at The Day Job™ who's been coming in pretty much every day since feckin' MAY with some sort of plague) but it hasn't gotten better or worse since, so I'm guessing it's dry air.
 

MaeZe

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Got mine today and I was so pleased. I thought for sure there'd be a long wait, got there and the waiting room was full. But it turned out they were there for labs and other shots. They had a flu shot temporary clinic corner set up and I didn't have to wait at all. :Thumbs: