The annual or seasonal flu vaccine is highly recommended for nearly all individuals, according to the Mayo Clinic. Each year health officials create a vaccine that is thought to immunize people against viruses expected to cause the flu, or influenza. The shot is generally available between September and mid-November, just before the start of the expected flu season. Unlike other vaccines, the flu shot must be administered each year due to the speed at which the viruses change. Side effects of the flu vaccine are generally mild but there are a few serious complications that may occur in rare cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mild Problems
The CDC explains that mild problems are the most common side effects associated with the flu vaccine. The risk of the vaccine causing serious problems, including death, is extremely small. The CDC reports a few mild problems including hoarseness, sore eyes, eye redness, cough or itchiness. It is common to experience mild discomfort at the site of the injection including soreness, redness or even swelling.
Flu-Like Symptoms
The flu shot contains an inactivated flu virus, which makes it unlikely that you will contract the flu from the vaccine, states the CDC. The live flu virus is contained in the nasal spray form of the flu vaccine, which can cause individuals to mild flu-like symptoms. Either vaccine can cause a mild fever or body aches, which are flu-like symptoms. The live flu virus vaccine can cause mild flu-like symptoms like runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, wheezing, abdominal pain or infrequent vomiting or diarrhea. These reactions are most often reported in individuals between the ages of two and 17, states the CDC. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 49 have reported a sore throat, chills, tiredness, weakness or headaches. These symptoms are generally considered to be mild unless they are persistent beyond one or two days.
Severe Side Effects
The CDC warns of life-threatening allergic reactions caused by either form of the vaccine but states that the likelihood of such a response is rare. Within a few minutes or hours of receiving the vaccine an individual may experience trouble breathing, rash, hives or unusual swelling that can close the airways.
One other severe risk of the flu vaccine is Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), but the chance of this side effect is one or two out of one million persons receiving the vaccine, according to the CDC. The Mayo Clinic describes GBS as an immune disorder where the body attacks the nerves, causing weakness or numbness in the body. Eventually, this may lead to partial or complete paralysis of some or all of the body.
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