What is the flu?
Influenza is a respiratory infection lasting a week or more that produces fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches and a cough.

What are the symptoms of flu?
Flu symptoms can include a high fever, headache, dry cough, chills, sore throat and muscle aches. One distinctive feature of flu is the rapid onset of symptoms.

What is the flu vaccine and how effective is it?
Each year, federal health officials try to determine which three strains of the flu will be most prevalent that year. This year’s flu shot consists of inactivated viruses to boost people’s immunity against the flu strains expected to be prevalent. Because the viruses in the shot are inactive, they cannot cause the flu. The vaccine is thought to be 70 to 80 percent effective in preventing the flu in healthy people 65 years old and younger.

Why get a flu shot?
An annual flu shot is the single best way you can reduce your risk of getting the flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 114,000 Americans require hospital treatment, and 36,000 die each year from influenza or influenza-related complications. When there is a particularly virulent strain of the flu circulating, as many as 70,000 Americans could die from influenza or influenza-related complications.

Why do I need to get a flu shot every year?
Each year, scientists try to identify the three strains that will be prevalent for that particular flu season and develop the vaccine accordingly. Because the strains vary from year to year, you must get a shot each year to protect yourself.

Does the flu shot work right away?
No, it takes about two weeks after being vaccinated to develop immunity to the flu. That’s why it’s best to get your vaccine early in the fall before flu season is fully under way.

When should you get a flu shot?
Since protection from the flu develops two weeks after vaccination, the ideal time to get a vaccine is late October to early November. December through March is considered peak flu season.

Does the flu shot have any side effects?
The most common reaction is a slight irritation to the site of the shot. Other reactions are rare but can include fever, fatigue, painful joint aches and headaches. The 1976 Swine influenza vaccine was associated with an increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nervous disorder characterized by muscle weakness, numbness, tingling and pain. Subsequent vaccines, however, have not been shown to cause GBS, although they are not recommended to those with a history of GBS.

Who is at an increased risk for complications from the flu?
According to the CDC, those at high risk include people 65 years and older and those suffering from diabetes, immunosuppression disorders, severe forms of anemia and chronic diseases of the heart, lungs or kidneys. Residents of nursing homes and chronic care facilities, women past their first trimester of pregnancy during flu season, people in close contact with high-risk groups and children and teenagers taking aspirin for long periods are also urged to get the vaccine.

Who should not get a flu vaccine?
Those who should not receive a flu vaccine include women in their first trimester of pregnancy and anyone who is sick with a fever. In addition, those with a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome and those with an egg or mercury allergy should not receive the vaccine.

How much does/will the flu vaccine cost?
The cost at the Baptist Minor Medical Centers is $20, and no appointment is necessary.