getting your flu shot: common misconceptions and importance of preventive care
there are many reasons that hold people back from getting an annual flu shot to help prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory infections, such as rsv and covid-19.
6 minute read
immunizations are the top-shelf options for preventing illness and disease because, as dr. christine palmay says, “good medicine treats disease; excellent medicine prevents disease.”
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roughly 12,200 people will spend some time in the hospital this year due to a flu infection. while the flu is often considered a simple and quickly resolved infection, it claims the lives of roughly 3,500 canadians annually, garnering it a spot among the ten leading causes of death in the country.
for the average healthy individual, it’s thought that getting the flu is only a minor inconvenience and that those at the highest risk—people over the age of 65, children, and people who are pregnant—are the only ones who would have to contend with a severe flu infection.
that said, it can be challenging to determine if people, even at their healthiest, won’t react badly to influenza, leading to severe infection in those who are otherwise safe from negative consequences.
dr. christine palmay, a family physician and immunization advocate, sees firsthand the toll that respiratory infections can have on people, even those who don’t think they’ll develop severe symptoms.
“the chances of somebody developing a severe vaccine-preventable disease when you’re healthy is less than somebody who’s not. but it’s not zero,” she said. “i always say you’re healthy until you’re not.”
out of sight and out of mind
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vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases run rampant in the winter months in canada. for those who are lucky enough to avoid infection, the impact of that is “out of sight, out of mind,” according to dr. palmay.
those who are not contending with severe disease in themselves or others in their lives do not see the overrun hospitals, the grave complications that can occur, or the deaths of loved ones caused by a preventable respiratory infection.
“i think we sort of forget about the periphery—the patients who end up in trouble are those that are in the hospital,” she said. “i think that there’s still a notion that it’s just a time-limited respiratory infection. you pick up and go, and that’s not the reality.”
dr. palmay also notes that, in the event of a hospitalization, a person will likely not be the same as they were when they walked in simply because the flu took such a heavy toll on their body.
they can develop other infections from being in the hospital that worsen health outcomes, or if they have pre-existing health conditions, those can be exacerbated.
misconceptions surrounding the flu shot
aside from the most significant misconception of seeing the flu as unserious, other reasons hold people back from getting their yearly immunizations to help prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory infections, such as rsv and covid-19.
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one such misconception is that the flu shot will cause them to develop a severe side effect. severe side effects are extremely rare. according to the world health organization, roughly one in one million people may develop a secondary condition known as guillain-barré syndrome (gbs), but with the risk so low, it’s outweighed by the benefits.
knowledge of this often plays a role in people’s fear of getting the flu shot, which dr. palmay notes is frequently taken out of context and fails to include the complications that can arise if a person gets the flu.
“of course, there are side effects and potential complications with any medication or immunization, but the reality is that these aren’t new. they’re heavily studied,” she said.
people also fail to understand the ramifications that can occur due to flu infection, not immunization.
for example, gbs can also develop after being infected with influenza, along with other neurological complications, including reye syndrome, transverse myelitis, seizures, and encephalitis.
“it’s all about perspective and context, and i can tell you, i am much more fearful as a healthcare provider dealing with the ramifications of a severe vaccine-preventable disease versus the side effects that we know and are expected from an immunization,” she said.
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another common misconception is that getting the flu shot means a person will not catch the flu at all. but that’s not entirely true.
the flu shot helps to stop the spread by reducing influenza’s ability to make its rounds throughout the community and priming the body so that when the virus does make contact, the immune system is ready to fight it off. this essentially prevents the virus from getting out of control and causing severe symptoms, hospitalizations, and death.
“i have many patients who get the vaccine, and they come in saying, ‘i got sick,’ but there’s a couple of problems with that,” said dr. palmay.
one issue dr. palmay notes is that a person could be experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the viral infection is caused by a different pathogen altogether, such as rsv or covid-19.
the other issue is the understanding of what the flu shot really does.
“if you get sick, how sick are you?” she notes, meaning that with the flu shot, the illness may be a lot milder than if a person opted out of protection altogether.
she also notes that costs associated with a flu infection aren’t only associated with health.
“what is the cost of needing to stay at home and deal with daycare? what’s the cost of having a parent that needs help after being discharged from the hospital? those are all realities,” dr. palmay said.
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looking out for the community by looking out for oneself
in people who are unlikely to develop severe disease or complications from the flu or other respiratory infections this upcoming winter season, getting the flu shot isn’t something that is only done for them—it’s done for those who cannot change their risk factors, such as older adults, children, and those with compromised immune systems.
it’s crucial for these individuals—those who will not get severely ill—to get the flu shot for several reasons. the first is that they can never be sure that they won’t develop severe disease because, as mentioned above, the chances are low but never zero.
the second is to take advantage of the fact that the flu shot helps to prevent transmission and severe infection. in a community of people from all walks of life and those who fall into all risk categories, getting the flu shot is a service towards others that can help prevent hospitalization or death in people who cannot recover from the flu as well as most.
“doing things altruistically for your family and friends (is important),” said dr. palmay.
allowing oneself to take the risk of severe hospitalization or spread the flu infection to those who could be hospitalized also puts a heavy strain on the already overworked and understaffed healthcare system.
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“what’s overwhelming to me is thinking of a canadian winter, where the healthcare system is already overburdened. it’s already understaffed, under resourced. what’s going to happen if you need hospital care and you end up on a gurney in the hallway?” dr. palmay said. “i think there’s some practical reality (to that).”
looking at the flu shot as a form of health insurance
getting the flu shot can act as a preventative measure against the viral infection and all the ramifications that can arise when a person becomes ill, both mild and severe.
as dr. palmay notes, staying on top of these vaccinations can be overwhelming because so many are available, with each one doing its part in creating a safer and healthier winter season. that said, they are the top-shelf options for preventing illness and disease because “good medicine treats disease; excellent medicine prevents disease.”
she goes on to say that if people looked at immunization through a different lens, such as how they look at protecting other aspects of their lives, such as getting home insurance to protect against costly accidents, it might be easier to understand just how important it is.
“there’s so little we can prepare for in advance. the vaccines are one of the pillars of preventative healthcare,” she said. “so, you buy a house, you buy house insurance. i don’t just buy flood insurance. i buy fire insurance, the whole package, and that’s the way i approach it with patients. it’s like an insurance policy.”
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