Five Facts to Know About 2009 Flu Vaccinations

1. Get vaccinated: it’s the best protection from the flu

Prevention is the single greatest effort you can make to protect those around you. Especially for sick children, says Roberta Smith, infection control nurse with The Children’s Hospital department of epidemiology, it’s important to build a “circle of protection” – physicians, staff, and families – who form a virtual shield with their immunity. Conversely, those who carry the virus without symptoms can still infect others. Simple vaccination prevents this problem and helps complete the “circle of protection.”

According to The Children’s Hospital Department of Epidemiology:

• Kids 6 months to 8 years old should receive two doses of vaccine four or more weeks apart if they have not been previously vaccinated.
• Children less than 6 months old are especially vulnerable because the Food and Drug Administration has not approved influenza vaccines for them. For this reason household contacts and out-of-home caregivers should be vaccinated.
• Children may receive influenza vaccine at the same time they receive other routine vaccinations.
• Vaccinations can be administered via shot or nasal spray.
• Pregnant women should get vaccinated because of the increased risk for influenza-related complications. Vaccination can occur in any trimester.

2. You will not catch the flu from a flu shot

Flu vaccine contains only inactive viruses, so it cannot cause influenza.

Soreness at the vaccination site is the most frequent side effect of vaccination and can last up to two days. Fever, malaise, muscle pain, and other general symptoms occur infrequently and most often affect those with no prior exposure to the influenza virus (e.g. young children). Side effects of the nasal spray include nasal congestion, scratchy throat and cough.

3. Seasonal flu shots do not protect against H1N1

The flu appears in many forms, comprised of different strains for each sub-type. Seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu), for example, are two different types of flu. Smith explains that when manufacturers produce the seasonal influenza vaccine, they include those viruses most prevalent in worldwide circulation. The characteristics of these viruses provide the basis for selecting which strain to include in each year’s vaccine. Updated annually, vaccine for the 2009 influenza season was produced in January 2009, well before the worldwide H1N1 outbreak. Because of this, manufacturers did not include the H1N1 strain in the 2009 influenza vaccine. Therefore, the manufacturers are making a specific H1N1 vaccine that should be available for use in incremental amounts beginning in mid-October.

4. Initially, only those considered “high risk” for contracting H1N1 will receive H1N1 vaccination

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the following groups are considered high risk and should plan to receive an H1N1 vaccination once it is available:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact
• Children 6 months through 4 years of age
• Children 5 through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions

5. Family members of Children’s high risk patients can receive free seasonal influenza vaccinations

Family members of Children’s high risk patients can receive free seasonal flu vaccines donated by The Children’s Hospital gift shop. Proceeds from purchases in the gift shop fund nearly 2,500 doses of seasonal flu vaccine for this purpose. Vaccines are available in a shot or nasal spray form. Family members interested in receiving this vaccine should talk to their provider at The Children’s Hospital. According to Kathleen McBride, director of the association of volunteers, the Gift Shop provides free vaccine to families of high-risk patients as an example of Children’s “commitment to providing the finest care for our patients and their families.”

Additional resources

Learn more about H1N1

Learn more about seasonal flu

Find a flu shot clinic near you 

The Colorado Health Emergency Line for the Public (1-877-462-2911) can also you find a flu shot clinic near you.

ABC News Spotlights an expert from The Children's Hospital

Learn more about childhood vaccines from the CDC