Anyone ever get the flu from a flu shot?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, has anyone here ever become sick from the flu shot? It has happened to me twice. Last year I got the flu after having the shot and I missed over a week of work. I really don't want to get one this year! :uhoh21:

Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
Does anyone know if a transplant recipient should get a flu shot?

Thanks in advance

Ojo

Here's some info from the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/pdf/early_screening_form.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/vis-flu.pdf

Seems like the answer is yes, but they should consult with their health care provider.

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Specializes in Addictions, Corrections, QA/Education.

I have never gotten the flu from the flu shot. My kids get it too...with no problems:)

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Specializes in home health, LTC, assisted living.
The vaccine can cause an immune response. Your body may react to the vaccine as though you really have the flu. Sore throat, body aches, etc...

It does not give you the actual flu....If you do get the flu, either you did not seroconvert or you were exposed to a strain not included in the current vaccine. Also, it takes 2-3 weeks before you develop an immunity to the three strains of virus included in the current year's vaccine. If you are exposed to the flu shortly before or after you receive the vaccine, you will probably get the flu.

Thank u, those were my symptoms, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills, and probably the stress of starting a new job didn't help either. :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Flu Expert Calls For

Vaccination for Healthcare Workers

Johns Hopkins senior hospital epidemiologist and flu expert is calling for mandatory vaccination of all healthcare workers as the best means of protecting patients and hospital staff from widespread outbreaks of the viral illness. Studies by other U.S. researchers show that voluntary vaccination programs dont do the job and that each year, nearly 40,000 Americans die from influenza, many of them elderly or ill.

In an editorial published in the Nov. 9 online edition of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Trish Perl, MD, MSc, concludes that mass vaccination policies are required to prevent patients from accidentally contracting the virus directly from an infected medical staff worker or indirectly from other patients or visitors via medical staff.

Previous research from Hopkins showed that annual flu shots have been almost 88 percent effective at reducing the risk of flu infection and that they reduced by one-half the number of deaths among hospital patients from the disease.

Staff surveys from other hospitals have shown that the most common reason cited for not getting a vaccination is a lack of time (47 percent). Surprisingly, a remarkably high number of staff, more than 30 percent, believed they could catch influenza from the vaccine itself, which is false

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