Flu: You're Not Immune

Parents are having “chicken pox parties” to expose their toddlers to the virus; researchers are reporting that children exposed to colds and germs (e.g., in early daycare) build better immunities. Can the same be said for adults who contract influenza? Does getting the flu improve your immunity?

“The natural immunity you build is usually more durable than the immunity you acquire from an injection,” acknowledges Dr. Raymond Strikas, associate director for an immunization program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “However, why run the, albeit small, risk of a serious illness when it is much safer to get the vaccination?”

“Getting the flu is not a good idea,” says Dr. Ardis Hoven, an infectious disease specialist and trustee of the American Medical Association. “The primary reason is that the influenza virus undergoes antigenic variation, so on a yearly basis the strain undergoes change.” Meaning: Getting this year’s flu doesn’t necessarily prevent you from getting next year’s flu.

The CDC estimates that every year, approximately 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu. The figures are hard to estimate because not everyone who gets the flu goes to the doctor. What is known: 1) More than 200,000 are hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 will die, and 2) Ninety percent of deaths are among the elderly.

So what’s a person to do to avoid the flu?

Many doctors suggest that the best way to prevent the flu, or any illness, is to wash your hands regularly. However, becoming a Purell fanatic isn’t a guarantee or sufficient protection for those at risk of serious complications from the flu.

Note: Those who are anaphylaxis to eggs should not get a flu shot (see sources below). Also, if you’ve had a bad reaction to a flu vaccine in the past, talk to your doctor before getting one again. If you’re ill that day, your doctor will likely have you wait till you are well to have the vaccine.

What if you’d rather get the flu than get a shot?

Say you’re not in any of the high-risk groups and you hate shots. What’s wrong with just taking your chances? It’s not just about you. If you get the flu, chances are, you’re going to transmit it to others—and then those people will pass it on, and so on. So by not taking care of yourself, you run the risk of infecting those who may be at risk for serious illness. In fact, one of the reasons immunization is recommended is to limit the spread of a virus. The flu isn’t just about health, either; a flu epidemic has a financial impact as well. “The flu affects about 5 percent to 10 percent of the work force on an annual basis,” says infectious disease specialist Hoven. “This impacts workforce productivity—loss of income, loss of revenue, health care costs to individuals (going to the doctor, buying medicines). So getting the flu can have a significant community effect.”

For the truly needle phobic, this marks the third year that a new nasal spray vaccine will be available for those who are healthy, not pregnant and between ages 5 and 49 years. There are 3 million doses available. The price ($18-$23 a dose) is higher than the shot, which costs between $10 and $14 a dose. Side effects can include be a runny nose and congestion.

Can’t you still get the flu from a flu shot?

“As with any medicine you can have an adverse or side effect—e.g., sore arm from injection or weak and feverish,” explains Strikas of the CDC. There are other uncommon side effects—diarrhea, vomiting, rare allergic reactions. The flu vaccine contains inactivated virus, meaning you cannot get the flu from the flu shot itself.

You can, however, still get the flu, even if you’ve had the vaccine. Some people respond with antibodies better than others, and the older you get, the less able you are to make antibodies to respond to a vaccine. “You are still better off with the shot than without, because you are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than if you didn’t have the vaccine,” says Strikas.

Additionally, the virus causing the flu in your community may not be the exact virus you were vaccinated against.

For those who aren’t high-risk and who are relatively healthy, the main reason to get a shot and avoid the flu is: The flu is a bummer. Don’t confuse your annual bad cold with the flu. As Dr. Thomas Kovachevich, a family practitioner in New York City says: “Anyone who’s had the flu prays to God for relief—even atheists.”

Review Sources:
1) http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/index.htm
2) http://www.acaai.org/public/advice/Fluvaccine_eggallergy.htm