View Pandemic Influenza Questions and answers.
Commonly Asked Questions About Influenza (Flu) and Pneumonia
Where can I get a flu shot?
You can call your physician’s office to see if they have the flu vaccine available. For public clinics, you can visit our Find a Flu Shot page, or you can phone the CIPAC flu shot clinic hotline at 1-877-462-2911 and there are live operators that can help you locate a clinic and answer your influenza related questions. NOTE: All clinics are subject to change, and please check with your physician before receiving influenza vaccine.
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I received a flu shot last year, do I need to get a flu shot this year?
Yes. Due to antigenic drifts in the flu virus, most years at least one of the influenza virus subtypes changes. Because of these changes, the vaccine you received last year will offer little protection against the flu strain that is circulating this year. The World Health Organization along with other worldwide surveillance centers, monitor the flu virus and track what viruses are circulating around the world. Based on data from previous years and on predictions on the strains that will predominate in the coming year, a new vaccine is formulated every year.
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What are the strains in this year's (2005-06) influenza vaccine?
FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met in Bethesda, Maryland, on February 17, 2006, to select the influenza virus strains for the composition of the influenza vaccine for use in the 2006–07 U.S. influenza season. During this meeting, the advisory panel reviewed and evaluated the surveillance data related to epidemiology and antigenic characteristics, serological responses to 2005/2006 vaccines, and the availability of candidate strains and reagents.
The panel recommended that vaccines to be used in the 2006-07 season in the U.S. contain the following:
- an A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)-like virus;
- an A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like virus (A/Wisconsin/67/2005 and A/Hiroshima/52/2005 strains);
- a B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like virus (B/Malaysia/2506/2004 and B/Ohio/1/2005 strains)
The influenza vaccine composition to be used in the 2006-07 season in the U.S. is identical to that recommended by the World Health Organization on February 15, 2006.
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After I receive a flu shot, how long does it take for my body to be protected from influenza?
Generally protection against influenza develops about 2 weeks after getting the shot.
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Who should get influenza vaccine?
In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious flu complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious complications.
People who should get vaccinated each year are:
- People at high risk for complications from the flu:
- People 65 years and older;
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that house those with long-term illnesses;
- Adults and children 6 months and older with chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma;
- Adults and children 6 months and older who needed regular medical care or were in a hospital during the previous year because of a metabolic disease (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or weakened immune system (including immune system problems caused by medicines or by infection with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV/AIDS]);
- Children 6 months to 18 years of age who are on long-term aspirin therapy. (Children given aspirin while they have influenza are at risk of Reye syndrome.);
- Women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
- All children 6 to 23 months of age;
- People with any condition that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions (that is, a condition that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, such as brain injury or disease, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other nerve or muscle disorders.)
- People 50 to 64 years of age and children 24-59 months of age. Vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine also is recommended for people 50-64 years of age and children 24-59 months of age because of an increased risk for influenza-associated clinic, emergency department, or hospital visits, particularly if they have a high-risk medical condition:
- People who can transmit flu to others at high risk for complications. Any person in close contact with someone in a high-risk group (see above) should get vaccinated. This includes all health-care workers, household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children 6 to 23 months of age, and close contacts of people 65 years and older.
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Who shouldn't receive the influenza vaccine?
You should talk with a doctor before getting a flu shot if you:
- Ever had a serious allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous dose of influenza vaccine, or
- Have a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).
If you have a fever or are severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled, you should probably wait until you recover before getting influenza vaccine. Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether to reschedule the vaccination.
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Can I receive a pneumonia shot at the same time as the flu shot?
Yes. If you are over that age of 65 or at risk for pneumonia ( see flu and pneumonia information) and have not already received a pneumonia shot, you can and should get you flu shot the same day as your pneumonia shot. You need a flu shot every year while your pneumonia shot is generally good for a lifetime.
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My child has never received a flu vaccine before. What are the recommendations?
- For children who are under the age of nine years of age: Two doses should be administered to children less than 9 years of age (i.e., six months through 8 years) only the FIRST time the vaccine is given.
- The child will receive one dose and the second booster dose is to be given a month later.
- After a child has received a flu shot, a single dose should be given in subsequent influenza seasons.
- Please speak with your pediatrician about the influenza vaccine and the vaccination schedule
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My child is under the age of nine. Last year was their first year receiving influenza vaccine and only received the first dose. Does my child need two doses of influenza vaccine this year?
No. The dose that your child received last year serves as a “primer” dose and only one vaccination with influenza vaccine is needed this year to be adequately protected. It is recommended that children < 9 years of age who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time receive two doses of influenza vaccine one month apart to achieve the highest protection against influenza
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Can I get a flu shot if I am not feeling well?
If you have a minor illness or a slight fever it is not a reason to skip your flu shot. However, if you have a high fever (102 degrees or greater) you should put off your flu shot until your fever comes down. If you are taking antibiotics you can still receive your flu shot.
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Can my child receive a flu shot at the same clinic where I receive my flu shot?
Maybe. Depending on the policies of the clinic you wish to attend and the age of your child you may be able to have your child vaccinated at the same time you receive a flu shot. When you find a clinic on the “ Find a Flu Shot” page, click on “details” and the vaccination of children policies should be posted. If you child is receiving influenza for the first time and they are less than nine years old, they will have to receive two doses of influenza vaccine on month apart. Please consult with you pediatrician. Additionally, your pediatrician’s office may be offering the influenza vaccine as well.
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What are the symptoms of influenza?
IInfluenza is a respiratory illness. Symptoms of the flu include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Extreme tiredness
- Dry cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle aches
Children can have additional gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these symptoms are uncommon in adults. Although the term “stomach flu” is sometimes used to describe vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea, these illnesses are caused by certain other viruses, bacteria, or possibly parasites and are rarely related to influenza.
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How do I find out if I have the flu?
It is very difficult to distinguish the flu from other viral or bacterial causes of respiratory illnesses on the basisi of symptoms alone. A test can confirm that an illness is influenza if the patient is tested within the first two to three days after symptoms begin. In addition, a doctor’s examination mbe needed to determine whether a person has another infection that is a complication of influenza.
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What is the nasal-spray flu vaccine (or LAIV)?
The nasal-spray flu vaccine (sometimes called LAIV for Live Attunated Influenza Vaccine) is a new flu vaccine that was licensed in 2003. It is different from the other licensed influenza vaccine (also called “flu shot”) because it contains weakened live influenza viruses instead of killed viruses and is administered by nasal spray instead of injection.
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Who can be vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine (LAIV)?
LAIV is approved for use in healthy people between the ages of 5- 49 years.
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Who should not be vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine (LAIV)?
- People less than 5 years of age
- People 50 years of age and over
- People with a medical condition that places them at high risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system.
- Children or adolescents receiving aspirin
- People with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder of the nervous system
- Pregnant women
- People with a history of allergy to any of the components of LAIV or to eggs
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When should I get a flu vaccination?
The best time to get vaccinated against influenza in Colorado is during the months of October, November, and into December. Flu activity in Colorado generally peaks between late January and early February.
You can still benefit from getting vaccinated after November, even if flu is present in your community. Vaccine should continue to be offered to unvaccinated people throughout the flu season as long as vaccine is still available. Once you get vaccinated, your body makes protective antibodies in about two weeks.
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