Flu Shot Questions

I have few questions on flu shots:

1) Does the flu shot protect a person 100% from the specific strains? Is it impossible to get the H1n1, flu, etc after receiving the flu shot, or are their symptoms just less if they do get the flu?

2) Do you recommend to rub the injection site after receiving the vaccination? I've heard some nurses say yes and others say no.

3) Does the person still get the full benefits of the flu injection if it's given subcutaneous accidentally?

Thank you!!!
Quote from dedicateI have few questions on flu shots:1) Does the flu shot protect a person 100% from the specific strains? Is it impossible to get the H1n1, flu, etc after receiving the flu shot, or are their symptoms just less if they do get the flu?

Maybe the kids dont have it bc they have a waiver...I do not intend on getting the flu vaccine...never have gotten a flu shot. MAy horror stories for vaccines created in a few months having ill effects so I would rather not take a vaccine like that and the flu shot, with all it H1N1 goodness is one of them.

you can get answers to these and more questions at the CDC website. They have a section called flu facts

Quote from NightNurse876Maybe the kids dont have it bc they have a waiver...I do not intend on getting the flu vaccine...never have gotten a flu shot. MAy horror stories for vaccines created in a few months having ill effects so I would rather not take a vaccine like that and the flu shot, with all it H1N1 goodness is one of them.

I do agree with you blondy2061h. In my case I am Jewish and had just recently found out about substances used in vaccines that come from what would be considered in the Jewish community to be "unclean". For instance; cells derived from swine, monkey, and other animals are used in the formulating of flu and H1N1 vaccines. For me, a big concern, but for many others not a concern at all. Luckily I found out from the Dean of Nursing at my school that if I really need to I can sign a waiver...phew! He said that the hospitals in my area push for atleast 80-90% inoculation. I do agree however that besides allergic reaction or strong religious conviction, we would all be in serious trouble if all were to forgo being vaccinated! I hate feeling like I'm an exception to the rule, but am just glad that a waiver at least where I live is a possibility!

flu vaccines are manufactured up to a year or more in advance of flu season, based on a best guess as to what the prevalent strain will be then. sometimes they're right-- and sometimes, they're not. it takes so long to make a vaccine for a given strain that they can't, say, look at the reported numbers of unexpected or novel strain xyz123 coming into offices and urgent care in november and whip up a big batch to give everyone by christmas. or st. patrick's day, even. not gonna happen.there's a good reason why you have an immune system. get the flu, recover from it, and you'll have good immunity to that strain (and its close relatives) when it comes around again. i had a great-great aunt who, at 93, got the big flu that was killing people half her age, and did not die. turned out later, when they were able to really type the strains from old stored samples, that the 1917-18 pandemic that she survived was almost the same as the one she survived again in 1964. people who are more at risk for death are people who are already sick with something else (copd, heart disease, etc), or are immunoincompetent for whatever reason (including--ta-da-- old age, when your immune system starts to be unable to mount a response to make an immunization work).i wait to see if i get the flu now, and always have, and never take the vaccine. if i get sick, i stay home, rest, do symptomatic treatment (including coughing and deep breathing every two hours and prn, as we teach all nurses), and i get over it. i'm 60 now and have only been really sick with a flu two or three times in my life, probably because i get the wild types and made my immunities freely. i figure i'm in better shape for when i'm 80 than if i hadn't given my immune system such a good workout. honest to god, it's not the end of the world if you get sick sometimes.note that i am not referring to walking into a ward full of people (who got sick enough overnight from a bizarre variant to go on ventilators) without precautions and a hit of any vaccine that's been developed for that strain. i had a dear friend working in toronto when that flu came through and killed a lot of people, and it was not fun. i'm talking normal, seasonal influenza.

I completely agree with you on this! Sometimes I wonder why flu shots are pushed soooo much? I guess I have some of my own ideas on that one :icon_roll. Thanks for the post!

Quote from dedicateI have few questions on flu shots:1) Does the flu shot protect a person 100% from the specific strains? Is it impossible to get the H1n1, flu, etc after receiving the flu shot, or are their symptoms just less if they do get the flu?Thank you!!!