Jason E. Andersen

I got a flu shot last week. I’ve often had people tell me that the flu shot gives them the flu. I’ve also been told by several medical professionals that this is impossible and that the flu shot, in fact, cannot cause the flu. For several years I have been getting seasonal flu shots and never had any problems, aside from a sore arm at the injection site. However, I’ve always wondered about the opposing information on flu shots and whether they can, or can’t, give you the flu.

The night following my flu shot I got a fever. I know that because I remember writhing around in the bed and sweating profusely. I wish I had gotten up to take my temperature, but I wasn’t really aware of what was happening at the time. By morning, I was quite sick. I had a terrible headache and was nauseous, along with the chills from the fever. I had to stay in bed all day, except for brief excursions to the bathroom for essential bodily functions. By evening, I was able to finally venture out to the couch. I watched TV for a couple hours before I went back to bed for the night.

I thought I had finally come down with COVID. While I laid in bed, my wife made appointments for us to get tested (she felt fine by the way). The next day we got up to get nasally swabbed. I felt better, but not great. The fever had gone away and I only had a generally sore and sick feeling. We got tested and returned home where I continued to recover on the couch. As I continued to feel better, I realized that I likely didn’t have COVID, or even the short-lived variety of the flu. I started to do some internet research.

Bonus Fun Fact: Flu shots given with needles literally cannot give you the flu. They are made with dead flu viruses or single proteins from the virus. That’s directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. However, flu shots can cause side effects that include fever, headache, and muscle aches. These symptoms only last for a day or two and are not as severe as they would be with getting the flu itself. While having these symptoms can certainly make you feel sick, it is not the same as having the flu. The flu is a serious illness that can kill people and, while I can now see where the confusion comes from, I still encourage people to get flu shots.