Flu vaccines are safe, with few side effects.
So why do some people think that they are dangerous and have a lot of side effects?
Do Flu Vaccines Have More Reported Side Effects Than Other Vaccines?
Unlike most things anti-vaccine folks say, there is a hint of truth to the idea that flu vaccines have more reported side effects than other vaccines.
Why?
Since 2006, over 1.6 trillion doses of flu vaccine have been distributed in the United States, which equals about the combined total of all the other vaccines we use, including DTaP, rotavirus, hepatitis B, MMR, Tdap, and HPV, etc.
Overall, since we give so many more flu vaccines than any other vaccine, we can expect to get more reports of side effects from those flu vaccines.
That’s simple math.
On the other hand though, after getting a flu vaccine, you should not expect to have any extra side effects as compared to getting any other vaccine.
Remember, side effects from flu vaccines are generally mild and go away quickly. And more serious side effects are rare.
Get your flu vaccine and avoid getting the flu.
More on Flu Vaccine Reported Side Effects
- Flu Vaccine Delays and the 2019-20 Flu Season Supply
- Which Flu Vaccine Should You Get?
- I’m Not Anti-Vaccine, I Just Don’t Believe in Flu Shots
- I Refuse to Listen to Bad Advice About Flu Shots, and I Won’t Apologize for It
- Does Getting a Flu Vaccine Increase Your Risk of Spreading the Flu or Getting Others Sick?
- What Makes the Flu So Deadly?
- Does the flu shot contain a vaginal spermicide?
- Can Flu Shots Cause the Flu?
- Why Do Some Folks Wear a Mask During Flu Season?
- Flu Facts vs. Fiction
- The myth of getting the flu from the flu shot
- Everything You Want to Know About Influenza
- Ask the Experts About Flu Vaccine
- CDC – Flu Vaccine Safety Information
- WHO – 5 myths about the flu vaccine
- CDC – Misconceptions about Seasonal Flu and Flu Vaccine
- NHS – Flu vaccine side effect
- WHO – Observed Rate of Vaccine Reactions Influenza Vaccine
- Study – Post-licensure surveillance of quadrivalent inactivated influenza (IIV4) vaccine in the United States, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), July 1, 2013-May 31, 2015.
- 32 Myths About The Flu Vaccine You Don’t Need To Fear
- CDC – Narcolepsy Following Pandemrix Influenza Vaccination in Europe
- WHO – Statement on narcolepsy and vaccination
- A stubborn medical mystery: Was pandemic flu vaccine tied to an increase in narcolepsy cases
- Vaccine adverse events: causal or coincidental?