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Flu Shot Tip Sheet

Flu season is here. Get the flu shot facts with this timely tip sheet.

By Wendy C. Fries
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Worried about a potential swine flu epidemic and wondering how you can protect yourself? Or just weighing the pros and cons of the seasonal flu vaccine? Here are some of the fast facts about flu prevention that you've been looking for.

Looking for a swine flu shot? Unfortunately, there is no swine flu vaccine. Experts say that it will take at least several months to develop one. For now, the best methods of swine flu prevention are pretty low-tech: wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, and stay away from sick people.
The flu vaccine can prevent seasonal flu in about 70%-90% of healthy adults under 65. But it offers no protection against swine flu. So even if you got a flu shot earlier this flu season, it won’t lower your risk of contracting swine flu.
Though everyone’s concerned about the risks of swine flu, the dangers of run-of-the-mill flu are nothing to shrug off. Influenza causes 200,000 people in the U.S. to be hospitalized every year. It kills 36,000. Prevention is key.
Though experts suggest getting the standard flu vaccine by the Thanksgiving holidays -- holidays equal hugs, kisses, and close contact, after all -- getting vaccinated makes sense any time during flu season, which may last from October to May.
Allergic to eggs or chicken protein? Then flu vaccines -- which are cultivated inside chicken eggs - may not be safe for you. Talk to your doctor to be sure.
Think the flu vaccine can give you the flu? It can't. The vaccine is made with a killed or weakened form of the flu virus, which can't give you influenza. The nasal flu vaccine has caused transfer of the virus to others, but this happens rarely.
Concern that there's a link between autism and the vaccine preservative thimerosal has prevented some parents from getting their kids vaccinated. Worry no more. Studies have found that there is no link between thimerosal and autism. And if you’re still worried, thimerosal-free flu vaccines are now the standard for children in the U.S. -- and available to adults for the asking.
Stuck on the fact that you need to get vaccinated every year? There's a good reason. Flu viruses change, so flu vaccines must change, too. Each year's vaccine is unique, cultivated from the flu strains health officials believe will be most menacing that year.