People who get the flu from the flu shot

[hedgehog]

Since the virus in the vaccine is treated so it can't transmit the disease, what's really going on?

A. They were already exposed and got sick on schedule despite the shot, not because of it.

B. The vaccine didn't work for them, and they got the flu anyways.

C. They are having an immune system reaction to the vaccine. If so, does this mean they are super duper protected? Does it mean that they would have been really susceptible to the flu? Or does it just mean they have a twitchy immune system?

[cynatnite]

1. Could be another strain of flu than what the shot covers n/t

[Hello_Kitty]

2. D. Attention-hungry hypochondriacs. n/t

[Maddy McCall]

3. Not so.

I got the flu year before last. I had received the flu shot 5 days prior. My doctor typed my flu as Type A. My son had it, too. Same type.

Doc said that my body had not yet built up the antibodies to the flu when I contracted it.

Why would you say that someone who gets the flu after getting the shot is a hypochondriac? :shrug:

[Hello_Kitty]

6. Not all, but you must admit

There are those who claim to have gotten the flu from the flu shot who might fall into that category. Either that, or they are credulous idiots who succumb to every urban legend about health i.e., chocolate makes you break out or you can get the flu from a flu shot. When you point out that there is no credible evidence of such connections, they become defensive and adamant that they really DO break out from chocolate or get sick from a flu shot.

And you're saying that your doctor thinks you contracted the flu despite the flu shot, not because of it. That sounds more reasonable than thinking some weakened virus in a vaccine gave you a full-blown flu.

[Ian David]

7. What about people who get the flu from chocolate and acne from flu shots?

And the people who are constantly tormented by Poltergeists?

[bicentennial_baby]

8. just a minor point for you

unrelated to the flu, but...hypochondria, or health anxiety, in it's most real form, has nothing to do with attention seeking. it's a mental issue, and for some of us, it can be very debilitating and life-interrupting.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kalibex]

14. ~sidelong glance~

Mmm-mmm...always nice to see a healthy dose of compassion going around.

[FloridaPat]

4. Shots give you a weak version of the disease so your immune system

can build up antibodies against that disease. They make you a little sick so you won't get very sick. However, your immune system could really be shot and you get very sick from the shot.

[Bridget Burke]

5. It would help if we knew what kind of flu they got.

Each year's flu vaccine protects against the strain predicted for that year. Sometimes the prediction is off.

If they got the "predicted" flu--they may not have been vaccinated in time. The source below says that immunity develops 2 weeks after the shot. Which means that the vaccine is needed before flu season begins in earnest. And the slow distribution of this year's vaccine will cause some problems.

www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5180.html

If they got a strain not expected that year--that's the luck of the draw. I wonder who predicts what each year's flu will be--the pharm industry or someone who doesn't earn money from the vaccine?

If they don't know what kind of flu they had because they didn't see a doctor--maybe they didn't really have it. Flu is NOT the same as a bad cold.

[SheilaT]

10. I have another theory.

Perhaps the poor unfortunate had already been exposed, and was going to come down with the flu anyway, and the flu shot simply speeded things up and perhaps made them worse. I'm basing the "made them worse" part on the rather consist reports that people get a truly horrendous version of the flu after the flu shot.

It's also true that flu shots are only about half as effective as is generally claimed.
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2004/02/19/flu_experts_vaccine_effectiveness_not_demonstrated.htm http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/efficacy.htm
Personally, I've long thought the need for flu shots among people who are not at risk in some way to be vastly overrated.

[hedgehog]

11. I was asking because my grandmother always got sick after her

flu shot. She made certain she go her shot every year though. She survived the 1918 epidemic but lost a lot of friends. My elderly mother got chills and was worn out after her shot this year which made me wonder if people are mistaking their immune system reaction to the shot for the actual flu.

As for healthy people getting the flu shot, that may be the best way to protect the weak among us. We've all gotten annual flu shots since my younger son was diagnosed with asthma at age 18 months to avoid bringing flu into the house. Now it turns out that if a community vaccinates healthy young children, the number of cases throughout the community drops.

[lildreamer316]

12. THAT makes me think

that it could be a genetic thing? Maybe?

[hedgehog]

13. It sure would go with an over reactive immune system

How about throwing in some asthma, allergies, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and probable lupus/rheumatoid arthritis among various family members in the mix?

[lildreamer316]

15. Yetch.

WHoo--hooo. Molotov cocktail ya got there; please be careful!!!

[hedgehog]

16. Well, I didn't say any one of us has them all!

but it does make for some interesting medicine cabinets!

[kestrel91316]

19. CAN'T get the flu from the flu shot. It contains DEAD virus.

Edit: Big disadvantage from vaccines made from dead viruses - they don't do anywhere NEAR as good a job of stimulating immunity as does a live virus vaccine. But if it's a live virus vaccine, it can revert to virulence as it gets passed on through the population. There are no perfect solutions here..........

[SheilaT]

20. Given the lack of

effectiveness of flu shots, much less than what is claimed, I'm personally convinced that healthy people, including young children, have no business getting a flu shot. Keep in mind that the immunity gained from getting the real thing is always better than that obtained from vaccinations.

And I suspect that in your grandmother's case, if she always gets sick after her flu shot, then it is triggering a case of flu in her. It would be very difficult to know for sure, since there isn't a simple instant blood test that can tell if you're already incubating flu. Now that would be a huge step forward, to be able to ascertain quickly and easily if you're already exposed.

Also, with young children, they are supposed to get lots of illnesses as they grow up. It's how the immune system develops. If it's not challenged enough, there are one set of problems, of which asthma is one, possibly other auto-immune disorders. If over-challenged, there are other problems, only I can't recall what they are. I learned about it listening to a book on tape about a year ago, and can't recall the specifics.

But what is clear is that over the course of a normal lifetime our body and our immune system responds to various challenges and develops. When very young we can recover from injuries that might cripple or kill an adult, and would surely be devastating to someone elderly. If the immune system is properly challenged in childhood, we reach adulthood able to resist all manner of diseases. Eventually, as we age, our immune system isn't as responsive, and of course we all die from something or another in the end.

[pitohui]

17. the vaccine is just a guess & often doesn't work for anyone

they have to guess ahead of time how the flu will mutate in any given year, prediction is inexact or all scientists would instead be millionaires in vegas, anyhoo, what happens is the vaccine produced is often completely ineffective against the mutation that in fact occurs

therefore you have a mix of --

--people who were going to get the flu anyway, had it in their system, now they blame the flu shot because of the way the brain understands cause and effect (just as we see a round world as flat, we believe if b happens immediately after a then b was caused by a, it is an error in our Intelligent Design i guess)

--medical professionals dispensing a vaccine that is ineffective for the strain going around just to make a buck since the vaccine has been produced & "it can't hurt," of course, the person is going to get sick anyway if exposed since the vaccine is not effective for that strain

[kestrel91316]

18. First a brief word about the two types of flu vaccine:

There are two types - the injection, and the intranasal.

Injectable flu vaccine is now (don't know about previously) made from INACTIVATED flu virus. It contains DEAD particles of the virus. It is completely impossible for dead virus to come to life and cause flu. It can and does cause a normal immune response which can result in fever, aches, and mild symptoms. This is how you know it's working.

Intranasal flu vaccine contains live attenuated flu virus. It has been raised through many many generations in chicken eggs, so that it loses its virulence. It is ATTENUATED live virus. When they squirt the stuff into your nose, it infects the tissue and begins to grow, but because it is a weakened virus it cannot cause flu per se. It CAN cause sneezing and mild symptoms, but it protects against actual flu infection. The weakened virus can be passed on toothers, so its use in households with immunosuppressed people is questionable.

When I vaccinate my feline patients, I always caution clients that kitty MIGHT feel a little under the weather for a day or two, and there is no cause for concern. People are the same. But feeling crappy for a day or two does not necessarily equal "the flu". People think that any time they are under the weather they have the flu, but that is simple misconception.

Edit: If someone is exposed to a virus imediately prior to vaccination, or before the body has time to mount an adequate immune response, the vaccine will not prevent disease. If someone is already ill with some other infection at the time of vaccination, they will likely not mount an adequate immune response. Certain medications can also interfere with the immune response. There is NO guarantee that everybody will respond - it's another one of those pesky bell curves.

[NickB79]

21. Because some people think colds are the flu?

How many times have you heard people say they came down with a "little flu" or had the flu for a few days? Those are not the flu; those are colds. The flu will drop you into bed like a sack of potatoes and leave you sweating, nauseous, feverish, delirious and overall feeling like %$@& for days and days.