Flu Shot Responses and Flu Shot Side Effects

In most cases, most kids endure their flu shots perfectly and plenty of things inappropriately get blamed on flu shot reactions. For instance, we are all aware of people that claim that they get the flu whenever they get a flu shot, which isn’t possible, since the flu shot isn’t a live vaccine.

Even though it won’t cause the flu, flu shots can generally cause mild side effects, specifically in younger children who are getting their flu shots for the first time. These reactions and flu shot side effects can include:

* Local Flu Shot Reactions, such as soreness, pain, and swelling where the flu shot was given, but which are usually mild and last for less than 2 days.

* Systemic Flu Shot Reactions, which usually begin 6 to 12 hours after getting the flu shot, last for only 1 or 2 days, and can include fever, rash, malaise (not feeling good), and muscle aches.

* Allergic Reactions, including hives, angioedema, and anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening, but fortunately are rare, and may brought on by residual egg proteins in people allergic to eggs or to other components of the flu shot. Keep in mind that there are protocols that allow people with egg allergies to get flu shots, so talk to your doctor or allergist if your child is at high risk for complications from the flu and in addition has an egg allergy.

The most important thing to consider is that simply because two things happen at about the same time doesn’t mean that one caused the other. By way of example, if you got your flu shot and bought a winning lottery ticket on the way home through your doctor’s office, that doesn’t mean that the flu shot made you lucky. They are two independent events and had no causal effect on each other.

See more on flu shot side effects.