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Tackling Influenza

Healthy Decisions This Flu Season

By Dr. Aneema Van Groenou

If your doctor recommends a flu shot for your child older than 6 months, there is not a whole lot to worry about. There are few people who have a bad reaction to the flu shot, and these include people who are allergic to hen's eggs, people who have had a severe reaction to the flu shot in the past and people who have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome after getting the flu shot.

But know you can still get the flu even if you've had the flu shot. The vaccine is updated every year to include the viruses most likely to cause epidemics. However, there are always a few strains of influenza not covered by the vaccine, so you or your child could still get the flu.

The virus on the flu shot is "inactivated," so it cannot give you the flu. However, some people do experience some symptoms after getting the vaccine. The most common side effects are soreness, achiness and redness at the spot where the shot was injected; a low-grade fever; and some generalized aches. This is not the flu! And these symptoms go away within a day or two.

In very rare cases, the shot, like any medication, can cause a serious allergic reaction.

The little "boo boo" where the vaccine was given may ache and cause your child to complain and cry, but it won't last. Only one in 10 children have any pain, tenderness or swelling at the site. Give your child some ibuprofen or acetaminophen if she needs it, and place a cold, wet washcloth on the spot to soothe it.

We are lucky to live in a time when the flu vaccine is readily available to us – often we don't even have to go to the doctor to get it. But talk with your doctor before getting vaccinated, and take some simple precautions to avoid catching the flu bug this season.

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