Flu vaccine contains dead virus

Who can get quadrivalent flu vaccine? Are any of the available flu vaccines recommended over the others? How much quadrivalent flu vaccine will be available for the United States during the flu season?

Are quadrivalent flu vaccines safe? Special Consideration Regarding Egg Allergy. What CDC Does. To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address: Email Address. What's this? Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. For these reasons, CDC continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older even if vaccine effectiveness against one or more viruses is reduced.

Experts must pick which viruses to include in the vaccine many months in advance in order for vaccine to be produced and delivered on time. For more information about the vaccine virus selection process visit Selecting the Viruses in the Influenza Flu Vaccine.

Because of these factors, there is always the possibility of a less than optimal match between circulating viruses and the viruses used to produce vaccine. The production process for some seasonal vaccines also may impact how well vaccine works against certain viruses, especially influenza A H3N2 viruses. Growth in eggs is part of the production process for many seasonal flu vaccines.

While all influenza viruses undergo changes when they are grown in eggs, changes in influenza A H3N2 viruses are more likely to result in antigenic changes compared with changes in other influenza viruses. Advances in vaccine production technologies for example, cell-based and recombinant technology and advanced molecular techniques are being explored as ways to improve flu vaccine effectiveness.

Learn more by visiting, Advancements in Influenza Vaccines. A flu vaccine is made to protect against the flu viruses that research and surveillance indicate will likely be most common during the season. Over the course of flu season, CDC studies samples of circulating flu viruses to evaluate how close a match there is between viruses used to make the flu vaccine and circulating flu viruses.

More information about the flu season and recommended vaccines is available. No, a flu vaccine cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are given with a needle flu shots are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a flu vaccine viruses that have been killed inactivated and are therefore not infectious, or b with proteins from a flu virus which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine.

Nasal spray vaccine is made with weakened attenuated live flu viruses, and also cannot cause flu illness. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they are designed to only reproduce at the cooler temperatures found within the nose. The viruses cannot reproduce in the lungs or other areas where warmer temperatures exist. While a flu vaccine cannot give you flu illness, there are different side effects that may be associated with getting a flu shot or a nasal spray flu vaccine.

These side effects are usually mild and short-lasting, especially when compared to symptoms of flu. A flu shot: The viruses in a flu shot are killed inactivated , so you cannot get flu from a flu shot.

Some minor side effects that may occur are:. The nasal spray: The viruses in the nasal spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness.

In children, side effects from the nasal spray may include:. If these problems occur, they begin soon after vaccination and usually are mild and short-lived. A flu shot, like other injections, can occasionally cause fainting. Tell your provider if you feel dizzy or have vision changes or ringing in the ears. As with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death. People who think that they have been injured by a flu vaccine can file a claim for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program VICP external icon.

More information about the safety of flu vaccines is available at Influenza Flu Vaccine Safety. Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, so supply depends on manufacturers. Vaccine manufacturers have projected that they will supply the United States with as many as million to million doses of influenza vaccine for the season. These projections may change as the season progresses.

All flu vaccines for the season will be quadrivalent four component. If you believe you have been injured by a flu vaccine you may be eligible to receive compensation from the federal government for your injuries if certain criteria are met. To learn more visit the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program website external icon or call CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older should receive an annual flu vaccination with rare exceptions.

There are multiple flu vaccines available, and not all flu vaccines can be given to people of all ages. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions regarding which flu vaccine options are best for you and your family. Yes, pregnant women should get a flu shot to protect themselves and their developing babies. To learn more about flu vaccine safety during pregnancy, visit Flu Vaccine Safety and Pregnancy. CDC uses two primary systems to monitor the safety of flu vaccines:.

People who have a history of severe egg allergy those who have had any symptom other than hives after exposure to egg should be vaccinated in a medical setting, supervised by a health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic reactions. Two completely egg-free ovalbumin-free flu vaccine options are available: quadrivalent recombinant vaccine and quadrivalent cell-based vaccine.

To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Influenza Flu. There are many reasons to get an influenza flu vaccine each year. Flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against flu and its potentially serious complications.

Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.

Despite the many benefits offered by flu vaccination, only about half of Americans get an annual flu vaccine and flu continues to cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. Many more people could be protected from flu if more people got vaccinated. Find Vaccines. While delaying getting of vaccine until later in the fall may lead to higher levels of immunity during winter months, this should be balanced against possible risks, such as missed opportunities to receive vaccine and difficulties associated with vaccinating a large number of people within a shorter time period.

Vaccination can still be beneficial as long as flu viruses are circulating. If you have not been vaccinated by Thanksgiving or the end of November , it can still be protective to get vaccinated in December or later. Flu is unpredictable and seasons can vary. Seasonal flu disease usually peaks between December and March most years, but disease can occur as late as May.

With rare exception, CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older, including pregnant women and people with medical conditions. A variety of flu vaccine products are available Table 1. Vaccine providers should be aware of the approved age indications of the vaccine they are using and of any contraindications or precautions.

Providers also should appropriately screen all people getting vaccinated for allergies to vaccine components or other contraindications. People who have previously had a severe allergic reaction to influenza vaccine or any of its ingredients should generally not be vaccinated. There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first speaking with their doctor. These include:. Pregnant women or people with pre-existing medical conditions who get vaccinated should get a flu shot.

For a complete list of people who should not get a flu vaccine before speaking with their doctor, please review the influenza Vaccine Information Statement for the inactivated or recombinant flu vaccine or live, intranasal influenza vaccine. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or even parasites. Flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.

To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Influenza Flu.