The flu vaccine can protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and potentially even death caused by the influenza virus. Yet the percentage of Americans who get immunized has steadily declined over the past few years — as rates of flu illness have increased.
Misconceptions about the flu vaccine are numerous and often hard to avoid: Maybe you heard alarming claims about the flu vaccine from a friend or read about them on social media. Maybe political divisiveness is influencing your opinion. Perhaps you believe you are too healthy to need a flu shot. Or you may think it’s simply too late to get the shot and have it work. In all these cases, opting out of the vaccine may be a dangerous choice.
Don’t let these misconceptions leave you and your family unprotected. Here, we take on long-standing and newly circulating myths about the flu shot — and offer must-know advice on how to stay safe.
Can You Get a Flu Shot and a COVID Vaccine at the Same Time?
It’s perfectly safe and medically acceptable to get a flu shot and a COVID-19 booster at the same time, says Purvi S. Parikh, MD, of NYU Langone Health. One day we might even see the two vaccines combined.
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5 Flu Shot Myths to Stop Believing in Order to Protect Your Health
1. Flu Vaccines Are Useless, Since They Don’t Fully Protect You From Getting the Flu
The flu shot works by prompting the body to produce antibodies to protect against the contagious illness. While it’s true that the flu shot may not perfectly protect against contracting all forms of the flu, it’s nonetheless an important tool.
Multiple strains of the influenza virus circulate each year, and each year those popular strains change. So vaccine developers base their formulas on their best predictions about the strains that will be dominant in the upcoming season.
“When it’s a perfect match, the shot works extremely well,” explains Megan Culler Freeman, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics in the infectious disease division at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “But even when it’s not a perfect match, there is usually some cross-protection, which means if you do get the flu, it won’t be nearly as severe.”
So, even if you do still get the flu after getting the vaccine, you’ll still experience a certain level of protection that could save you from being flattened for a week or longer, having to see a doctor, or, worse, being hospitalized. The targeted approach to specific strains of the flu also underscores why getting the jab each year is so important.
2. The Flu Shot Can Give You the Flu
“The flu shot is made from an inactive virus, so it’s impossible for it to give you the flu,” says David Brill, DO, a physician in the department of family medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “It is possible but not common to have a day of body aches or not feeling well after getting the shot, but that’s just your immune system doing what it’s supposed to be doing, and nothing compared to the actual flu.”
Safety from the flu isn’t immediate, however. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and for you to become protected. “It’s possible for someone to get the shot and then catch the flu before immunity kicks in,” notes Dr. Freeman. “But you would never get the flu because of the shot.”
3. Once Flu Season Starts, It’s Too Late to Get the Shot
Infectious disease experts recommend getting vaccinated by the end of October so that you have immunity by the time the influenza virus starts circulating in your community.
But if you don’t make that deadline, don’t stress — and certainly don’t give up on the whole idea. The flu is unpredictable and seasons can vary. “As long as flu viruses are circulating, it’s still worth getting a flu shot,” says Dr. Brill.
4. It’s Healthier to Get the Flu and Let Your Immune System Do Its Job
Unfortunately, there’s nothing healthy about getting the flu. “People can have pretty severe and negative outcomes from getting natural flu,” says Freeman.
In addition to causing 7 to 10 days of full-on misery, influenza can lead to severe complications, such as pneumonia, inflammation of the heart or brain, and even death.
Furthermore, it’s key to understand that vaccines don’t weaken your immune system or prevent it from working the way it should, points out Brill. “Vaccines actually stimulate your immune system and get it to work in the direction you want, without [you actually] getting the actual illness,” he explains.
All factors considered, getting vaccinated is a much safer choice than getting sick.
5. Young, Healthy People Do Not Need to Worry About the Flu
While it’s true that the flu is most threatening to the very young, the elderly, and people with underlying illnesses or medical conditions, the illness can cause severe symptoms in people of any age.
Even healthy children and adults are at risk of hospitalization or severe complications from a bout of the flu, says Brill.
Also keep in mind that you’re not just getting the flu shot for yourself but also for everyone around you. As more people get vaccinated, it becomes less likely that influenza spreads. This concept is called “herd immunity.”
“You should get a flu shot for Grandma or the older person in line in front of you at the grocery store,” says Brill. You can’t pass along a virus if you never get it yourself.
The Takeaway
An annual flu vaccine can protect against serious illness, hospitalization, or even death.
Don’t let myths about the flu vaccine deter you from protecting yourself. For instance, the flu shot itself won’t give you the flu; generally healthy people don’t have natural protection; and as long as the flu is still circulating, it’s not too late to get the vaccine.
Getting vaccinated doesn’t just protect you — it also contributes to herd immunity, which helps to protect vulnerable populations from severe illness.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Jane Yoon Scott, MD, is an infectious disease physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Scott enjoys connecting with her patients, empowering them to understand and take ownership of their health, and encouraging them to ask questions so that they can make informed and thoughtful decisions.
She graduated with the highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, then received her MD from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her internal medicine residency training and chief residency at Temple University Hospital, as well as a fellowship in infectious diseases at Emory University. She is board-certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases.
When she is not seeing patients, Dr. Scott works with neighboring health departments to promote public health, especially to communities that have been historically underserved. She also teaches medical trainees and lectures medical students at the Emory University School of Medicine.
In her free time, Dr. Scott appreciates a good coffee shop, weekend hikes, playing guitar, strolling through cities, sampling restaurants, and traveling to new places.
Julia Califano is an award-winning health journalist with a passion for turning complex medical research and information into news you can actually use and understand. She strives to help people feel more in control of their lives, conditions, and overall health.
In addition to Everyday Health, Julia's work has been featured in SELF, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, Health, DailyWorth, More, Food & Wine, Harper's Bazaar, the Slingshot Fund, Glamour, and Time Inc. Content Solutions, to name a few. She has also served as an editor and writer at Condé Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc.
Outside of work, Julia's favorite things include photography, summers on Cape Cod, good coffee, hiking, and (when her kids allow it) reading. She lives in the New York City area with her husband and two sons.
