Flu Vaccine Information
It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Vaccine
It’s Not too Late to Get Your Flu Vaccine While the ideal time to get your flu shot is by the end of October, it’s not too late to get yours now if you haven’t already! The CDC is already seeing elevated levels of influenza across the country and estimating 20 million illnesses, 210,000 hospitalizations,…
Read MoreA Community Pharmacist Answers Your Questions About the Flu: Part 1
According to the CDC, increased influenza activity has been reported in most of the US. Annual flu vaccination is the most important step to prevent getting and spreading the flu. As a community pharmacist, I get a lot of questions about the flu. When is the best time to get a flu shot? Right now!…
Read MoreThe 2022 Families Fighting Flu Influencer Campaign
Families Fighting Flu is proud to work with 11 influencers this fall who are sharing their personal stories about the flu, and the importance of getting flu vaccines. Why influencers? These content creators are the faces of social media. We wanted to engage real people who have a direct connection to the flu to share…
Read More5 Tips for Preparing Children for Flu Vaccinations
Many of us have been in this situation before: you have talked to your son or daughter about the importance of getting a flu vaccine, explained what will happen once you get to the office or pharmacy, and they are confident when they walk in. But then they may lose that confidence once they see…
Read MoreCan My Child Get Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines at the Same Time?
Yes! While we always recommend you talk to your child’s healthcare provider first, children can safely receive their first, second, or booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at the same time as they get their flu vaccine. Here are some reasons why: It’s common for children to get multiple vaccines at once. We have so…
Read MoreAre Flu Vaccines Live or Attenuated?
Most flu vaccines are not live or attenuated. Live means that the virus is not dead, and attenuated means that the virus is weakened but still alive. The live attenuated flu vaccine contains a version of the flu virus that is “alive” but weakened so that it cannot reproduce and make you sick. Rather, it…
Read MoreNeedle-Free Flu Vaccine
The nasal spray flu vaccine is administered intranasally, which means that the vaccine is sprayed up the nose as opposed to being injected with a needle. This vaccine can be used in eligible individuals ages 2 through 49 years and can be a good option for people who avoid flu vaccination due to a fear…
Read MoreRNA, DNA and Flu Vaccines
First, let’s cover the basics of DNA and RNA. Here is a quick explanation of what they are: DNA: “Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, is a complex molecule that contains all of the information necessary to build and maintain an organism. All living things have DNA within their cells. In fact, nearly every…
Read MoreAre Flu Shots Dangerous?
NO. Flu vaccines are studied, tested, and have been used in the U.S. since 1945. Can you get the flu from the flu vaccine? Again, no. To cause infection, flu viruses need to make copies of themselves. Flu vaccines, regardless of how they are made, do not contain viruses that can reproduce and make you sick with…
Read MoreWhat’s in a Quadrivalent Flu Vaccine?
Most flu vaccines are quadrivalent, which means that the vaccine protects against 4 types of influenza. Why quadrivalent? Flu is a tricky virus because it can change quickly. To keep up to date with these changes, flu vaccines are updated every year. That way, the vaccine you get each year is best matched to protect…
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