Schedule Your Child’s Flu Shot Today!

October 6, 2017

It is that time of the year again, flu season. With temperatures dropping and fall in the air, it is time to schedule your child’s annual flu shot. The flu can be a serious, life threatening illness, especially in children and the elderly. If you are apprehensive about vaccinating your child against the flu, you may find the information below helpful. First, let’s explore the flu virus.

What Exactly is the Flu?

the flu shot Great question. Many times when someone refers to the “flu” they are referring to a stomach virus, such as an upset stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting. For this reason, the stomach flu often gets confused with influenza, which is a respiratory virus. Although on occasion upset stomach symptoms can be related to influenza, most often in children, it is rarely the main symptom.

3 Things You Need to Know About the Flu Shot

The internet is full with information on the flu shot and it can be difficult to know what is true and what is false. Below are 3 facts that may ease your mind about vaccinating your child.

Your child needs to get their flu shot every year. At Holly Springs Pediatrics, we follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation to get your flu shot every year, even if the strand that the flu shot protects against has not changed from the previous season. This is due to your immunity protection from the vaccine declining over time. In order to be the most protected, a yearly flu shot is a must.
The flu shot cannot cause your child to get the flu. Even though you may have heard people mention that the flu shot infected them with the flu, the flu shot is not a live virus. Because the flu shot is not a live virus it cannot infect your child with the flu. The flu shot is made either with an inactive virus or with no flu virus at all. The flu mist, which is sprayed up the nose, is developed using a live virus, however the cells have been weakened and are unable to cause the flu.
Your child can receive the vaccine even if they are allergic to eggs. You may have heard that if you child is allergic to eggs then they are unable to receive the flu shot. There are several types of flu vaccines that are made using egg proteins. However, even if your child is severely allergic to eggs, the flu vaccine is still safe and no special precautions are required. As always, it is best to mention your allergy to your doctor prior to receiving the vaccine.

Although the flu shot itself cannot infect your child with the flu virus, it is still possible that your child may contract the flu even with the flu shot. This can happen for several of the following reasons:

It is possible that your child came into contact with the virus prior to getting vaccinated.
It is possible your child came into contact with the virus in the two week window following their vaccine when their immunities are developing.
Your child came into contact with a different strand of the flu that the vaccine did not protect against. Keep in mind that here are many different strands of the flu and the shot does not guarantee protection from all.