Flu-Related Myths: What You Need to Know

Flu season arrives every year after the weather cools down. Influenza (the flu virus) spreads most dramatically during the fall and winter, when people spend more time indoors. Flu-related myths also tend to spread at this time of year.

Here are the most common myths:  

Myth: I’m young and healthy. I don’t need the flu vaccine.

Fact: Many patients in their 20s and 30s – even their 40s or 50s – feel invincible. If they contract the flu, they might not be at risk of serious illness, but they may expose their loved ones to the virus.   

If you’re young and healthy, you might only develop a mild case of the flu. But you could spread the flu to an older adult, a pregnant woman, somebody with asthma, or others. These are just some examples of the types of people who are more likely to develop flu-related complications, which may lead to hospitalization.   

The flu vaccine decreases your risk of spreading the flu. If you aren’t worried about your own health, think about your loved ones. By getting a flu vaccine, you help to protect them.  

Myth: I got a flu shot last year, so I don’t need one this year.

Fact: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged six months and older get a flu vaccine every year. The reason is two-fold: 

• Each year, the flu vaccine offers protection against different strains of flu. 
• The effects of the flu vaccine wear off over time, so a new one is needed annually.

Vaccine producers analyze flu trends in the Southern hemisphere to help them create a new flu vaccine each year. While it’s summer here, it’s winter – and flu season – in Australia. Because it’s likely that the flu strains circulating in Australia will spread across the U.S., vaccine producers typically protect against those strains in their latest flu vaccine.   

Some years, a flu strain that nobody expects will spread in the U.S., so vaccine producers may not include that strain in their annual vaccine. Even then, being vaccinated offers some protection. For high-risk patients, some protection is better than none at all.  

Each time flu season rolls around, the previous year’s vaccine doesn’t offer very much protection. Getting a new flu shot gives your immune system renewed defense.   

Some research suggests that the flu vaccine has the potential to give you underlying risk protection for years to come, even if it’s just at a low level. Studies find that successive vaccinations may offer people better outcomes and protection over time. By getting an annual flu vaccine, you may be doing your future self a service, if you eventually develop chronic conditions that increase your risk of flu complications.  

Myth: Flu shots don’t work, because some vaccinated people get the flu anyway.

Fact: While it is true that the flu vaccine doesn’t always prevent the flu, it does provide some immunity. If you get sick after being vaccinated, you’ll have a milder case than you would have had if you hadn’t gotten the flu vaccine. You may start to feel better a day or two sooner, and you’re much more likely to avoid being hospitalized. 

The flu vaccine gives very good protection for the first couple of months, and then it starts to wear off a little bit. That’s why we recommend waiting until the fall to get vaccinated.  

Myth: What’s the big deal? The flu is really just a very bad cold.

Fact: Most colds are viruses, and the flu is a virus. But the flu isn’t a really bad cold.  

Flu is serious enough that it causes thousands of hospitalizations every year, as well as a fair number of deaths. The most vulnerable people are the very old, the very young and the immunocompromised.  

If you’re young and healthy, the flu might feel like a terrible cold to you. But your grandmother or your mother-in-law with breast cancer probably won’t have the same experience. 

Myth: I’ll just ask my provider for antibiotics if I get the flu.

Fact: Many people believe that antibiotics can treat the flu, but antibiotics treat antibacterial infections, and the flu is a virus. Antiviral medications are available to patients with the flu, but there’s a limited window of time when they can be effective.  

If you begin taking antiviral medication for the flu within the first two days of illness, the drug should shorten the course of your illness by a day or two, and your symptoms won’t feel as severe. If you start antiviral medication a few days later, it won’t be as effective. 

You can learn whether you have the flu by getting a flu test at your primary care provider’s office, or even at urgent care or a pharmacy. If you test positive for flu within the first day or two of illness, antiviral medication is an option. But if you tough out your symptoms at home for three or four days before seeking medical attention, it will be too late for the medication to help. If you’d like to use antiviral medication, get a flu test soon after you develop flu-like symptoms.  

How to reduce your risk of getting the flu 

Instead of relying on antiviral medications to decrease the severity and duration of the flu, it’s best to not get sick in the first place. A few strategies should help reduce your risk: 

• Wash your hands often, and don’t touch your face. 
• Keep six feet of distance between yourself and other people. 
• Limit the amount of time that you spend in crowded environments. 
• If you’re at high risk of complications, wear a mask in crowded environments. 
• Open your windows on nicer days to air out the house.

If you aren’t feeling well, wear a mask or stay home to avoid spreading illness to others. Your primary care provider (PCP) has the advantage of knowing your health and medicine history. As a partner in your health care, your PCP should be your first stop for everyday health concerns including the flu. They may know your health habits, such as diet and exercise, chronic medical conditions, family health history and ongoing medical needs. Schedule an appointment with a ChristianaCare primary care provider by calling 302-777-0643 or through the patient portal.