Your Flu Shot Questions, Answered by an Expert – Everyday Health

The arrival of flu season always raises questions. You may be asking yourself: Do I really need a flu shot? When should I get it? Will it make me sick?

Factor in COVID-19 and you may have even more things to consider. Is it safe to get a flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine or booster at the same time? Influenza cases have been so low during the pandemic, is the flu really worth worrying about on top of everything else?

To help clear up some of the confusion, it can help to hear from a straight-talking doctor. Purvi S. Parikh, MD, a specialist in allergy and immunology at NYU Langone Health in New York City, shares her insights.

Everyday Health: Why get a flu shot?

Purvi Parikh, MD:Its very important to get a flu shot because every year the flu virus causes many deaths, many hospitalizations, and many long term complications especially in those who are elderly or immunocompromised or might have respiratory lung illness.

However, even if youre young and healthy, even if you catch a milder form of the flu, youre at risk of passing it on to one of your loved ones, who may then have a more severe complication.

Children are also at risk, especially because their immune systems are still developing. And we do see pediatric deaths from the flu every year.

EH: Who should get a flu shot and who shouldnt?

PP: Anybody 6 months or older should get a flu shot. Whether or not you have a severe chronic condition that puts you at higher risk for severe complications of the flu, its a good idea to protect yourself as well as protect others. If you catch the flu, youre at risk of passing it on to someone whos much more vulnerable than you.

Those who should not get the flu shot are those who have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine or may be allergic to one of the components of the flu vaccine. Or if youve had a rare neurological complication of the flu vaccine called Guillain-Barr.

But its always best to discuss with your physician if its a good idea for you to get the flu vaccine or not.

EH:Some people worry that a flu shot will make them sick.

PP: A flu shot cannot make you sick because the flu vaccine contains an inactive version of the flu virus that your immune system can recognize and mount your immediate immune response to, without actually getting infected from the virus.

You might get some expected side effects from the flu vaccine, which we see with other vaccinations, such as feeling run-down. Or you may have a headache for a couple of days or pain at the injection site. However, its much better than getting the actual virus itself.

EH:What is the best month to get a flu shot? And is it ever too early or too late?

PP: Generally the flu season is the worst during fall and winter, so most people will get their flu shots at that time anywhere between September, October, and November. However, its never too early or never too late to protect yourself from the flu. The flu virus is here year-round, so even if you get it a couple of months earlier, or even if you get it into the summer months, its still vital that you protect yourself.

EH:You might still get the flu even if you get a flu shot. So why bother?

PP: The objective of a flu vaccine isnt necessarily to stop you from getting sick at all, but to make sure that if you do get infected with the flu, either you dont get a more severe version of the flu virus or you get a shorter and milder course.

And its to prevent the more severe complications of influenza, such as hospitalizations, death, secondary pneumonias. And again, by everybody getting the flu shot, we can even protect those vulnerable members of our community and those in our family who may be elderly or who may have conditions that put them at higher risk for complications of the flu.

EH:What do people 65 and older need to know about the flu shot?

PP: People 65 and older may not mount as strong of an immune response as those who are younger. Also, their immune responses sometimes wear off a little sooner than those who are younger than 65. For that reason, we do have a high-potency flu vaccine that also is available every year.

And so those individuals should discuss with their physician if the high-potency vaccine is appropriate.

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Your Flu Shot Questions, Answered by an Expert - Everyday Health