Q: Will I get the flu from the flu shot?
A: No. Flu vaccine is created from dead or inactive viruses that cannot cause illness.

Q: Do I need a flu shot every year?
A: Yes. Influenza viruses continually change every year. A new vaccine is used annually to fight the most current influenza virus. In addition, the antibodies a person develops from the vaccine declines over time.

Q: When should I get a flu shot?
A: Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as the vaccine becomes available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January, and beyond. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary. While influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, most of the time, influenza activity peaks in January or later.

Q: Why get a flu shot?
A: Influenza usually leaves its victims unable to function for several days and is responsible for more than 200,000 hospitalizations and about 36,000 deaths each year.* Getting an annual flu shot is your best protection.

*ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) 2006.

Q: How effective is the flu shot?
A: Flu vaccine has been determined to be about 75% effective in preventing the flu and is your best method of protection.

Q: Who should get a flu shot?
A: In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious flu complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious complications. Annual vaccination against influenza is recommended for:

• All persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others;
• All children aged 6 months up to 18 years of age
• All persons aged 50 years and older;
• Women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
• Adults and children who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• Adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus);
• Adults and children who have any condition (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders) that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration;
• Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities;
• Health-care personnel;
• Healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of children aged <5 years and adults aged 50 years and older, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children aged <6 months; and
• Healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza.

Q: Can I still get the flu after I get the flu shot?
A: Yes. Like other vaccines, flu vaccine is not 100% effective and does not take effect until one or two weeks after it is received. During this time, you will be just as susceptible to contract the flu as individuals who have not received the vaccination. Still, the best option to prevent flu is to get a yearly flu shot.

Q: What are the side effects of getting a flu shot?
A: For most people, vaccination causes no side effects. Less than 1/3 of those who receive a flu shot will experience some soreness at the vaccination site, and only 5 to 10 percent will suffer mild side effects such as low-grade fevers and headaches. Anyone who is allergic to eggs should avoid being vaccinated, since the virus used is grown in hens' eggs.

Q: How much does a flu shot cost?
A: The flu shot costs $25. Medicare Part B is accepted with no co-pay.

Q: Will the seasonal flu vaccine also protect against the novel H1N1 flu?
A: No, the seasonal flu vaccine is not expected to protect against the novel H1N1 flu.

Q: Will a vaccine for novel H1N1 be available?
A: The novel H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available sometime in the fall. It is not yet known if Publix Pharmacies will be providing the H1N1 vaccine.

For more answers to your flu-related questions, talk to your Publix Pharmacist.