State assembly member Linda Rosenthal is sponsoring events this month to help people get free flu shots and mammograms. The flu shot event is on Oct. 20 and the mammogram event is on Oct. 23. See the fliers below for more information.
This is very generous of you! However, two years ago I got my flu shot, shortly followed by a mammogram and my lymph-nodes were inflamed. I had to go back three months later. Please tell your patients coming for a mammogram NOT to get a flu shot right before. It was the first I had heard of this, but I learned the hard way…
Wow, so much misinformation about flu shots already in just a couple of posts.
Any doctor that thinks that immunity from a seasonal flu shot wanes significantly within the span of a year is seriously misinformed. The point of an early flu shot is to prevent the flu. Getting it late in the season puts one at risk for getting the flu before they get their shot.
I prefer my health-related information from CDC, WHO, and other legitimate organizations. As an older person myself, I have educated myself and know that there is a high-dose vaccine that is better than the standard flu vaccine and it’s recommended for people 65 and older. There is no actual recommendation for a second flu vaccine during a single season (except for previously unvaccinated children under 8 years). Waiting until later in the season may mean being exposed to flu before you get a shot, which means no vaccine will help.
I guess I was thinking more of a citation from a peer-reviewed medical journal or medical association. I hope our doctors aren’t getting their practice guidelines from the Huffington Post.
My doctor always is able to provide me with actual medical references from journals or textbooks when I have questions. I’m sure yours can too and perhaps your doctor would be so kind to do so as a way of sharing that information with others.
This excerpt and the link to the article itself, Mark, may provide you with what you need for a discussion with your doctor:
“We call it waning immunity,” Jorge P. Parada, M.D., a professor of medicine and director of the infection control program at Loyola University in Chicago, told Everyday Health. “If you get your flu shot in the beginning of September, you may start running out of protection by February or March, when the virus is still around.”
Thanks for the clarification. Please do ask your doctor for any reference that discusses that August is too early and that immunity can be lost before the season is over. I’d like to share that with my doctor to make sure I am making the right decision.
MARK: I don’t think that I mentioned getting an additional flu shot. You may have picked this up here from one of the links that possibly suggests it in certain cases.
My doctor didn’t recommend two shots. She insisted that I wait until October to get vaccinated, because the vaccine can wear out before the flu season ends. I have done this each year. I have noticed that my husband, who gets vaccinated too early by his eager-beaver doctor, often gets the flu before the end of the season. I escape it.
To me, it is unconscionable that drugstores begin in August to push flu shots on everybody.
Tomorrow, I get the vaccine, which is in keeping with when my doctor also gets hers. And, as you probably have read from at least one posters who graciously provided a link, October is the usual month mentioned for flu shots. October is also the month, per WSR’s article, when they are being offered to us.
If you have any other question for my doctors regarding flu shots, Mark, please let me know by the end of today.
I’m in superb health – for my age, Mark. Hope that you are likewise.
Thanks DR.
If you don’t mind, please ask your doctor to share where she is getting her information regarding two doses. There are plenty of us on here who are old enough to care and it might be helpful if we can see where these recommendations are coming from.
Stay healthy!
Mark, I agree with you about the CDC. I have never used WHO; I’ll keep it in mind.
Also, I’m comfortable with my PCP’s advice. She cares infinitely about each of her patients. She *does* use the high-dose vaccine — which drug stores don’t do.
I will continued to refrain from getting vaccinated before October, as she recommends.
Seems like you’re both right. Important to get it early in the season, but in older people, immunity may wear off and a second dose may be recommended:
All the Duane Reades offer the high-dose vaccine, but you have to ask for it and maybe wait a day, as it is not always in stock. I have gotten the high-dose formula every year it’s been available at the 79th/Amst. store.
So that’s two good things to pass on to the elderly and those with compromised immune system:
(1) You can get a special high-dose vaccine even from some drugstores.
(2) Early vaccination, some doctors say, may mean that your immunity will wear off before the flu season ends.
HM
9 years ago
A great program. But let’s be clear- it is our tax dollars, not the personal funds provided by any public official, which pay for these programs.
D.R.
9 years ago
Mark, below is the link to the package insert for the flu vaccine.
As for waning immunity and the effectiveness of the vaccine, yes, it’s a problem for the elderly and for those with compromised immune systems. It’s also a problem, because the virus mutates rapidly. As you know, you can find information about it on the CDC site, and you’ll find differing opinions if you decide to do more research. It’s controversial. Even the question of whether to vaccinate or not is controversial.
DR, sorry, I read scientific literature very carefully. My background is as a biochemist and so I consider myself to be scientifically literate.
You make a few errors in your post.
1. Waning immunity. This has nothing to do with evolving strains but rather loss of protective immunity conferred by a vaccine. I see nothing in the package insert that suggests that waning immunity is of concern during the span of a single flu season. Waning immunity is why some vaccines require booster shots. There is no current recommendation for flu shot boosters except for children under the age of 8 years who have not received a prior dose.
2. Evolving strains. It is true that flu strains can and do evolve but that is an issue with strain-vaccine mismatch, not waning immunity. The Huffington Post author made the same error.
3. October consensus. Where is that mentioned? The CDC website recommends receipt of flu vaccine by October, which means before October. The point is to protect yourself before exposure, not after.
4. “The flu does not appear before November”. Every season is different, but your statement is simply false. Flu season in the US is usually October through May. But there are unusual years in which many cases are seen outside those months. In addition, the “season” is not the only time one can become infected. The “season” varies by geography, and if you are exposed to someone from another region of the world who is sick with influenza, you may become sick. The virus isn’t going to say “well, it’s not classic flu season so I won’t make someone else sick”.
5. Evidence-based medicine. Doctors are expected to use evidence that is peer-reviewed and available for the creation of clinical guidelines.
Mark
9 years ago
I took a flu shot when I was in my 40s and it gave me autism.
Thanks Linda for your leadership.
This is very generous of you! However, two years ago I got my flu shot, shortly followed by a mammogram and my lymph-nodes were inflamed. I had to go back three months later. Please tell your patients coming for a mammogram NOT to get a flu shot right before. It was the first I had heard of this, but I learned the hard way…
What do inflamed lymph nodes have to do with your mammogram?
Timing of a flu shot does not need to be coordinated with a mammogram.
I’m glad that vaccination is taking place late in the season.
Drugstores push vaccination by August each year. My doctor warns that this is *much too early* and immunity is lost before the flu season ends.
Please, don’t be pressured each year into being vaccinated too early.
Wow, so much misinformation about flu shots already in just a couple of posts.
Any doctor that thinks that immunity from a seasonal flu shot wanes significantly within the span of a year is seriously misinformed. The point of an early flu shot is to prevent the flu. Getting it late in the season puts one at risk for getting the flu before they get their shot.
The answer may not be as unambiguous as you think.
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/ask-well-how-long-does-a-flu-shot-last/?_r=0
I prefer my health-related information from CDC, WHO, and other legitimate organizations. As an older person myself, I have educated myself and know that there is a high-dose vaccine that is better than the standard flu vaccine and it’s recommended for people 65 and older. There is no actual recommendation for a second flu vaccine during a single season (except for previously unvaccinated children under 8 years). Waiting until later in the season may mean being exposed to flu before you get a shot, which means no vaccine will help.
I will ask her.
I guess I was thinking more of a citation from a peer-reviewed medical journal or medical association. I hope our doctors aren’t getting their practice guidelines from the Huffington Post.
My doctor always is able to provide me with actual medical references from journals or textbooks when I have questions. I’m sure yours can too and perhaps your doctor would be so kind to do so as a way of sharing that information with others.
This excerpt and the link to the article itself, Mark, may provide you with what you need for a discussion with your doctor:
“We call it waning immunity,” Jorge P. Parada, M.D., a professor of medicine and director of the infection control program at Loyola University in Chicago, told Everyday Health. “If you get your flu shot in the beginning of September, you may start running out of protection by February or March, when the virus is still around.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/when-to-get-flu-vaccine_n_5836484.html
A flu epidemic can sometimes last into May.
Mark, this was addressed by Steven via the link that he so helpfully provided.
His link may also be where you read about the possible need for two innoculations.
In any case, I will ask my doctor.
Thanks for the clarification. Please do ask your doctor for any reference that discusses that August is too early and that immunity can be lost before the season is over. I’d like to share that with my doctor to make sure I am making the right decision.
MARK: I don’t think that I mentioned getting an additional flu shot. You may have picked this up here from one of the links that possibly suggests it in certain cases.
My doctor didn’t recommend two shots. She insisted that I wait until October to get vaccinated, because the vaccine can wear out before the flu season ends. I have done this each year. I have noticed that my husband, who gets vaccinated too early by his eager-beaver doctor, often gets the flu before the end of the season. I escape it.
To me, it is unconscionable that drugstores begin in August to push flu shots on everybody.
Tomorrow, I get the vaccine, which is in keeping with when my doctor also gets hers. And, as you probably have read from at least one posters who graciously provided a link, October is the usual month mentioned for flu shots. October is also the month, per WSR’s article, when they are being offered to us.
If you have any other question for my doctors regarding flu shots, Mark, please let me know by the end of today.
I’m in superb health – for my age, Mark. Hope that you are likewise.
Thanks DR.
If you don’t mind, please ask your doctor to share where she is getting her information regarding two doses. There are plenty of us on here who are old enough to care and it might be helpful if we can see where these recommendations are coming from.
Stay healthy!
Mark, I agree with you about the CDC. I have never used WHO; I’ll keep it in mind.
Also, I’m comfortable with my PCP’s advice. She cares infinitely about each of her patients. She *does* use the high-dose vaccine — which drug stores don’t do.
I will continued to refrain from getting vaccinated before October, as she recommends.
I’m sorry if I mislead anyone.
I’m seeing my doctor on Thursday and will bring it up with her.
She has led me to believe this for years.
Thank you for being so helpful, UWS-er and Steven. I really appreciate it. It helps everybody else, too, I’m sure.
I have a very good doctor, so I’m anxious to see hear her comments.
Seems like you’re both right. Important to get it early in the season, but in older people, immunity may wear off and a second dose may be recommended:
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/ask-well-how-long-does-a-flu-shot-last/
All the Duane Reades offer the high-dose vaccine, but you have to ask for it and maybe wait a day, as it is not always in stock. I have gotten the high-dose formula every year it’s been available at the 79th/Amst. store.
Thanks, for that information, wcsnyc.
So that’s two good things to pass on to the elderly and those with compromised immune system:
(1) You can get a special high-dose vaccine even from some drugstores.
(2) Early vaccination, some doctors say, may mean that your immunity will wear off before the flu season ends.
A great program. But let’s be clear- it is our tax dollars, not the personal funds provided by any public official, which pay for these programs.
Mark, below is the link to the package insert for the flu vaccine.
As for waning immunity and the effectiveness of the vaccine, yes, it’s a problem for the elderly and for those with compromised immune systems. It’s also a problem, because the virus mutates rapidly. As you know, you can find information about it on the CDC site, and you’ll find differing opinions if you decide to do more research. It’s controversial. Even the question of whether to vaccinate or not is controversial.
October seems to be the consensus month for inoculation. The flu does not appear before November — although there are other infections before November that we erroneously identify as the flu.
https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM263239.pdf
DR, sorry, I read scientific literature very carefully. My background is as a biochemist and so I consider myself to be scientifically literate.
You make a few errors in your post.
1. Waning immunity. This has nothing to do with evolving strains but rather loss of protective immunity conferred by a vaccine. I see nothing in the package insert that suggests that waning immunity is of concern during the span of a single flu season. Waning immunity is why some vaccines require booster shots. There is no current recommendation for flu shot boosters except for children under the age of 8 years who have not received a prior dose.
2. Evolving strains. It is true that flu strains can and do evolve but that is an issue with strain-vaccine mismatch, not waning immunity. The Huffington Post author made the same error.
3. October consensus. Where is that mentioned? The CDC website recommends receipt of flu vaccine by October, which means before October. The point is to protect yourself before exposure, not after.
4. “The flu does not appear before November”. Every season is different, but your statement is simply false. Flu season in the US is usually October through May. But there are unusual years in which many cases are seen outside those months. In addition, the “season” is not the only time one can become infected. The “season” varies by geography, and if you are exposed to someone from another region of the world who is sick with influenza, you may become sick. The virus isn’t going to say “well, it’s not classic flu season so I won’t make someone else sick”.
5. Evidence-based medicine. Doctors are expected to use evidence that is peer-reviewed and available for the creation of clinical guidelines.
I took a flu shot when I was in my 40s and it gave me autism.