That is absolutely false.

You can't get the flu shot if you're sick.

So I've heard this one a bunch of times.

The flu is similar to cold.

No, the flu can be a killer.

I'm Robert Jacobs, and I'm a professor of pediatrics at Mayo Clinic.

I'm Dr Tania Elliot.

Simon.

Allergist, Immunologist by training.

We're here to debunk some flu myths.

So myth number one.

You can't get the flu shot if you're sick.

So I've heard this one a bunch of times.

Listen, if you have a mild illness like a cough or runny nose or a low grade fever, you are not off the hook.

Now, some people who are recovering from Cove in 19 will wonder should they get the flu shot?

And yes, they should as soon as they've recovered from the acute phase of their cove in 19 infection and are no longer contagious.

Myth to the flu vaccine gives you the flu.

The flu vaccine doesn't contain anything that could give you the flu infection.

We're not seeing any more rates of illnesses after the flu vaccine than we would if we were giving a placebo injection of salt water.

And listen.

If you have a couple of aches or pains or you feel unwell, consider this being assigned that your immune system is working.

Myth number three.

It's too late to get the flu shot.

It is not too late to get the flu shot as long as the flu viruses circulating and that season is from October all the way through May.

Getting the flu shot is beneficial.

Yes, you should get it a soon as it's available.

But that doesn't excuse you.

If somehow you didn't get it in October and November, you can't get the flu after you've had the flu shot.

I wish we had a flu vaccine that was 100% effective.

We don't, but it's not zero a percent effective either.

It does work most years, about half the time, and it turns out in preventing half the cases.

We can actually prevent outbreaks and spreads.

It is our best chance, and the majority of time you will be protected against getting the flu.

And this year, with Cove in 19 we have to do everything we can to prevent every single case.

Ah, couple of reasons why you may still get the flu.

One.

You may have been exposed to the virus right before you got the vaccine so the vaccine didn't have time to kick in to.

You might be exposed to other strains of the flu that weren't in the vaccine.

Three.

Your immune system may not have mounted a strong enough response to the vaccine or four.

You have some other virus, and it's not actually the flu.

Mid five.

The flu vaccine is effective for a year.

Well, it's typically affected for the entire flu season, which is about six months.

But then the immunity starts to wane, and also the types of viruses or the strains of viruses that cause infections could mutate.

The flu vaccine is 100% effective.

I wish it was true.

I wish it was.

It's not.

It's about 50% effective.

We don't have a crystal ball, so the way it works is scientists from around the world come together every year and make their best guess at which strains of the flu virus, because there are a bunch of them, should be included in the flu vaccine based on which are the most dangerous or which are the most prevalent meaning which are the ones that are circulating so we don't get it right 100% of the time.

But the truth is, this is the best guests, and it's based on predictive analytics and based on science and based on history.

So it's pretty darn good.

Studies recently in the past years have shown, while it's not 100% effective, those who get sick with the flu despite getting the flu vaccine have a milder course, then those who didn't get the flu Vaccine myths.

Seven.

You shouldn't get the flu shot while pregnant.

I just had a baby.

You should absolutely get the flu shot while you're pregnant.

The last thing you would want is to get sick with an illness.

I could land you in the hospital while you're pregnant.

We now recognize pregnancy as being one of the big risk factors for getting a bad case of the flu.

And it does give the baby in the first six months of life some protection against the flu, which otherwise we can't solve because our flu vaccines don't work in babies under six months of age, it protects you and the baby, too.

Myth.

Eight.

Healthy people don't need a flu shot.

I hear this so many times.

Why should they get the flu vaccine?

Many times people get the flu and don't recognize it's the flu.

It's also a great way to protect your Children, your loved ones, your relatives in your neighbors.

If I could prevent myself from getting something and stay healthy, why wouldn't I do that?

It's so important that even if you may have a mild case of the flu, it doesn't mean that you may not spread it to family members and loved ones.

So do everyone a favor?

Absolutely.

And get the flu shot.

Myth.

Nine antibiotics will treat a flu infection.

Okay, so I hear this all the time.

All I need is a Z pack, and I'm going to be better.

I wish that people would understand Antibiotics actually have very little role in treating most of the colds, coughs and illnesses that we get during the year.

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections.

The flu is a virus.

Antibiotics don't work against viruses.

Myth.

10.

The flu is similar to cold.

No, the flu can be a killer We don't have people who die of the common cold.

Every year we have in the United States, tens of thousands of people end up in the critical care unit, tens of thousands who die from the flu.

We don't have that with the common cold.

You know, the only thing that's similar is that the flu is a virus and a cold is caused by viruses.

And some of the symptoms can be overlapping where you can have a fever, cough or runny nose or sore throat.

But it ends there.

Consider the flu about 100 even 1000 times worse than a cold myth.

11.

You can't get the flu more than once a year.

There is a chance that you can get the flu more than once a year.

We right now vaccinate against four strains of the flu with our vaccines, so we do a pretty good job with the vaccine and preventing those four strains.

But that means there's four strains circulating every year.

That means you could have four different outbreaks in a single individual.

There's a chance you could be infected with a different strain of the flu, and there's also a chance that maybe your immune system didn't mount a strong enough response to the flu vaccine in the first place.

Myth 12.

You can't spread the flu if you don't have symptoms.

That is absolutely false.

We've heard this over and over again with Kobe 19 right, that you could be an asymptomatic carrier.

You may not even know that you have the virus and you could still be spreading it.

Very similar story with the flu.

In fact, you could be infectious the day before you develop symptoms in the first place and even for days after you could still be shedding the virus.

Myth.

13.

You don't need a flu shot every year.

So remember the flu vaccine is good for about six months or so.

So it covers you for the flu season.

And remember that each year we may be changing the types of strains that we put into the flu vaccine that you would be protected against.

So that's why it's really important to get the flu vaccine every year.

People who are allergic to eggs shouldn't get the flu shot.

So I'm an allergist in clinical immunologist.

I hear this all of the time If you have an egg allergy, you can still get the flu shot.

There are some flu vaccines that are made with a minuscule and, I mean minuscule, be like less than trace amount off egg protein.

But the truth is, the protein that's present in the vaccine is not the same protein that egg allergic people react.

Thio.

We actually now know through hundreds and hundreds of patients with serious and, if lactic reactions of eggs that they have no more risk of having a nellor GIC or an if lactic reaction than people without them.

Egg allergies used to be thought to be a problem, but science has shown it's not an issue.

If you have a severe severe egg allergy, anaphylactic shock and you're really concerned, the recommendation is, get the flu shot in the doctor's office and wait for 30 minutes, just to be sure.

The other thing, I'll note, is that they do make egg free flu vaccines.

And so again, if you're super nervous or concerned, there is that alternative available for you as well.

Miss 15.

Taking vitamin C will prevent the flu.

That's not true.

In fact, we don't have nutrients that you can put.

Add a supplements or foods that you can eat that will protect you against the flu.

What will protect you against the flu?

The vaccine.

Hand washing with soap and water, Avoiding people with cough and sneeze.

Obviously, if you do have the flu, you should take steps to cover your cough and avoid exposing others.

Absolutely.

Maybe on the margin.

Vitamin C might help your immune system a little bit, and even that science is a little sketchy.

But absolutely it will not prevent you from getting the flu, nor will any other concoction of immune boosting agents.