A common myth cited as a reason for not getting the flu shot is that the shot will give you the flu. That is scientifically impossible. Here’s why.
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Articles on Flu vaccines
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Headlines about this year’s flu season have been alarming. It’s true, we are having a serious season – but the data doesn’t indicate it’s the worst one we’ve ever had.
The flu vaccine is built on the strains expected to circulate in a given year. While the majority of strains circulating this year are matched in the vaccine, there’s one strain we didn’t predict.
How can a tiny flu virus make you feel so bad, all over? Here’s what’s behind your high temperature, muscle aches and other flu symptoms.
The 2018-2019 flu season was less deadly than the last. But the pattern of infection was unusual, thanks to the various strains circulating and the way flu shots work over time.
The adjuvanted flu vaccine is free for over-65s and offers better protection than the standard vaccine. Here’s what the research says.
Protection wanes after four or five months, so for most people, it makes sense to get a flu shot in mid to late May or early June so you’re protected when the flu season peaks in August or September.
Vaccination rates for children in some parts of California are down, despite a law that narrowed exemptions. Here’s a look at why people refuse to listen to evidence when it comes to the flu vaccine.
Part of the problem was a mismatch between the influenza strains circulating and the vaccine available. Here’s how annual flu shots are formulated.
Illness often strikes when you’re stressed at work, not sleeping properly, or you’ve been out partying a little too much. Here’s why.
Stating a majority of people won’t benefit from a vaccine ignores the purpose of immunisation programs.
Research shows for every 100 healthy adults vaccinated against influenza, 99 get no benefit.
The most effective way to improve flu vaccination rates among health workers in high-risk clinical areas and aged care facilities is to make it mandatory.
While not perfect, the seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect against influenza. There are a few changes to the flu vaccine and what is available this year. Here’s what you need to know.
Giving pregnant mothers the flu vaccine protected their babies from getting the flu in the first six months of life.
The flu vaccine isn’t perfect but it’s the best way to protect against these potentially harmful viruses. Most children aged six months to five years are eligible for a free vaccine in 2018.
The 1918 flu pandemic has long puzzled those who study disease outbreaks. Why was it so severe? While that question is hard to answer, one thing is certain: Vaccines would have lessened the toll.
Two free flu vaccines will improve protection for the over-65s. FluZone High Dose is a high-dose version; Fluad adds an additional ingredient to boost effectiveness. But neither is perfect.
Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year’s vaccine won’t work on the next year’s common strains. But rational design – a new way to create vaccines – might pave the way for more lasting solutions.
There are many flu strains, and those strains can also change and mutate.
Top contributors
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Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC L3 Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney
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Professor of Infectious Diseases, Monash University
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Deputy Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
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Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University
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Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University
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Paediatrician, Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia
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Head: Zoonotic, Arbo and Respiratory Virus Programme, Professor, Department Medical Virology, University of Pretoria
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Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Senior Lecturer; MD, Victoria University
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Professor of Virology, Imperial College London
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Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical & Physical Biology, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University
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Ph.D. Student in Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University
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Associate professor, UNSW Sydney
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney
