Flu Shot Truths and Myths: 4 Facts To Know

This post is sponsored by The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. All thoughts and opinions are our own!

Do you know someone that works in healthcare? Our mom has been a nurse for over 30 years and every single year, she adamantly reminds us to get a flu shot. Getting the vaccine has always been part of our yearly routine, especially with us being teachers and being married to fellow teachers. We’re exposed to so many people on a day to day basis.

I never really thought about the consequences of NOT getting the flu shot until last year. It was a crazy start back to school and as the months wore on, we put our influenza vaccine on the back burner…despite all the texts from our mom. We should’ve known she was right! One afternoon my husband, Andrew, came home from school feeling a little under the weather and by bedtime, he was practically crawling on the floor. What followed for him was a week of vomiting, dehydration, weakness, and me being endlessly worried. I’d never seen my husband so sick in the 8 years we’ve been together. He had multiple doctors visits, received Tamiflu and still could barely crawl from bed to the bathroom every day.

That’s not the worst part! As Andrew started regaining his strength the following week, he woke up one night crying out in pain. He said it felt like someone was drilling a hole in his ear!  We sat up for hours until Urgent Care finally opened and they gave him medicine for a supposed ear infection. Later, we found out that his ear drum had ruptured from the built up pressure of being sick and then became badly infected. A few days later, our physician said it was one of the worst ear infections he had ever seen. They had to prescribe a much more aggressive antibiotic for him to finally start healing.

Learning Our Lesson

Being young and generally healthy, we always pacified my mom by getting our vaccine but never thought we would get seriously ill even if we did contract the flu. After seeing my husband so sick and being endlessly worried for weeks, it was one of the biggest “mom was right” moments of my life. From working in the hospital, she saw the flu cause so much suffering for young and elderly people alike. She knew that, just because you’re young and healthy, it doesn’t mean the flu passes you by unscathed. In our case, we definitely experienced the negative consequences of putting our vaccine on the back burner.

This year, we hopped in line and signed up for a flu shot as early as possible. I’ll say with certainty that we’ll continue to do so every year without the need of my mom’s texts. If the flu shot is new to you or you’re hesitant to get vaccinated, we’re sharing some truths and myths about the flu vaccine below!

Flu Shot Truths and Myths: 4 Facts to Know

Getting the Flu Shot Can Cause the Flu: FALSE

We hear this worry expressed pretty frequently. However, the flu vaccine does not have a live virus in it, so it is impossible to get the flu from the vaccine.

• Most people experience no side effects from the flu shot. The most common side effects are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given.

• Sometimes people may develop a low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches. These minor side effects are not the flu — they are signs of your body developing the immunity it needs to fight off the flu.

• The most common reactions people have to the flu vaccine are considerably less severe and shorter lasting than the symptoms caused by actual flu illness.

Getting the Flu Shot Can Protect Pregnant Women & Kids: TRUE

With so many of our friends and family members currently pregnant we find these facts fascinating!

• Vaccination reduces the risk of flu-associated acute respiratory infection in pregnant women by up to one-half.
• A 2018 study showed that getting a flu shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized with flu by an average of 40 percent. That’s almost half!
• A number of studies have shown that, in addition to helping to protect pregnant women, a flu vaccine given during pregnancy helps protect the baby from flu infection for several months after birth, when he or she is not old enough to be vaccinated.

Getting the Flu Is No Big Deal: FALSE

Take my situation as a lesson you don’t have to learn first hand. No matter what age you are, we’re all susceptible and can suffer serious health problems from the flu. Last year in the U.S., there were an estimated 39 – 56 million cases of the flu, 18 – 26 million medical visits due to the flu, and approximately half a million flu hospitalizations.

Don’t let yourself or your loved ones end up as a statistic for this year’s influenza season!

Getting the Flu Shot Can Keep You & Your Loved Ones Safe This Year: TRUE

This year more than ever, we need to make staying healthy a priority! The health system is already taxed and we can save hospital beds by getting the flu shot. During the 2018-2019 flu season, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 4.4 million influenza illnesses, 58,000 flu hospitalizations (just over the number of students at Michigan State University) and 3,500 flu deaths. That equals to saving about 10 lives per day over the course of a year!

Don’t Wait to Get the Flu Shot

The flu season is still going on so don’t wait to get your vaccine. It takes about 2 weeks to build up immunity so head to your local pharmacy or talk to your doctor’s office about getting the flu shot to protect yourself and your loved ones. For more information on the flu in Michigan head Michigan.gov and explore their pages dedicated to informing Michiganders about influenza.

For information on how to slow the spread of COVID in Michigan click here.