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Expert Q&A
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| By David L. Fay, M.D. Family Physician Associate Director, Waukesha Family Practice Residency Program | ||
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I got a flu shot through work, but I still ended up with the flu? Why? If the shot doesn't really protect me, than why get one at all?
This is a bit difficult to answer without knowing specific symptoms, but the most common reason for getting "the flu" after the immunization is a person's misconception: Many people think of the flu as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, or general upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose and congestion. In fact, influenza is a specific respiratory disease with rapid onset of symptoms (most patients can tell me what time they got sick), dry cough, fever and muscle aches. Those who do get influenza after the immunization (and this is very rare) do so because they have been exposed before the immunization has had a chance to work or because they get a different strain from what the immunization counters. Each year, scientists look at past patterns of flu seasons and try to predict the predominant strains for the coming year; the immunization does not protect against all strains. The reason that we recommend flu vaccine to high-risk individuals is simple: Influenza can have complications that can be fatal.
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- I got a flu shot through work, but I still ended up with the flu? Why? If the shot doesn't really protect me, than why get one at all?