This editorial series, Hot Topics, is brought to you by the Fort Worth Moms Blog and iCare Emergency Room & Urgent Care. Our friends from iCare Emergency Room & Urgent Care sponsored and crafted this blog post for the Hot Topics editorial series, and provided information on influenza and seasonal flu vaccines. All 15 original articles from the Hot Topics series can be found on our website.
As an ER physician with 12 years of experience, I have heard many reasons patients forego the flu vaccine over the years. One popular sentiment is that the flu is really just a bad cold. While it’s true influenza is a virus and can manifest with few or no symptoms, per the CDC, 36,000 people die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized each year from the flu or complications of the flu in the U.S. alone. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 80 percent of the children who died had not been vaccinated. Those most at risk are small children, the immunocompromised, and the elderly.
The vaccine obviously provides protection to those who receive it, but something most don’t consider is herd immunity. Herd immunity refers to the decreased ability of a contagious disease to spread when enough people are vaccinated against it. That means healthy people who choose to get the flu shot are not just protecting themselves from a “bad cold,” but can actually help save the lives of children, elderly, and others for whom the virus may be more dangerous.
So we’ve seen the benefits of getting vaccinated, but are there risks?
The flu vaccine is extremely safe, but there are some considerations. (Isn’t that the case for anything we decide to do in life like drive a car, take medicine, travel abroad, fly in a plane, etc.?) Perhaps the best endorsement I can personally give is to say my wife is a nurse practitioner and was pregnant during flu season last year. First, she got the flu vaccine while pregnant to help protect our baby, who would be born during flu season. We were overjoyed with our sweetest gift, a baby girl, in November. We did not let family members visit until they got the flu vaccine (and the pertussis vaccine — but that’s for another post). We told them early so they had plenty of time to prepare and build antibodies. By the way, babies older than six months can get vaccinated. Our baby will be one of the first in line this season.
Everyone experiences some discomfort (who enjoys a shot?) from the needle stick, and most have some soreness at the site during the days after the injection. A few will experience muscle aches, malaise, and sometimes fever. Far fewer experience allergic reactions ranging from hives to severe reactions, which can happen when we put anything into our bodies. To be fair, in extremely rare cases, the flu vaccine has been associated with a serious neurological condition called Guillian-Barre Syndrome. Again, this is very rare. There is no risk whatsoever of contracting the flu from the flu shot. It contains only viral antigens and never any of the actual live virus.
After getting the vaccine, it takes about two weeks to actually become effective. Also, there is a chance of contracting the flu even after getting the vaccine. If this occurs, your symptoms will likely be less severe, and the risk of passing on the virus may be decreased.
iCare Emergency Room & Urgent Care will offer the flu vaccine this fall. Most insurance plans cover the vaccine. If your insurance doesn’t cover it, the cash price is only $20. If you or your loved one suspects having the flu, please don’t hesitate to get evaluated at iCare.
A word from Lauren Green, RN, BSN, the regional director of iCare:
“I can speak to this issue not only as a healthcare provider, but also as a mother of three young girls. I have been an ER nurse for nine years, and I have gotten a flu vaccine every year because I take care of a lot of patients with the flu each season. Even when I was pregnant, I made sure to receive the flu vaccine to protect myself against this dangerous virus. My daughters have all been vaccinated each year since they were six months old.They are now seven, four, and two years of age. My daughters and I have been very lucky to have never gotten the flu. I will continue to vaccinate myself and my family each year to keep increasing our immunity to the virus.”
Check out this video tour hosted by the Fort Worth Moms Blog’s own Emily Y and Lauren.
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As a board-certified emergency medicine physician, Dr. Shane Cole specializes in accidents, injuries, illnesses, and minor trauma. Dr. Cole obtained his medical degree at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia. After graduating with honors, Dr. Cole went on to complete his residency in emergency medicine at Palmetto Health Richland in Colombia, South Carolina. From there, he decided to relocate to Texas where he now serves at University Urgent Care in Fort Worth. He has been granted the Honor Roll Award by Healthgrades and has earned the Patient’s Choice Award by Vitals for his work and dedication. First and foremost, Dr. Cole is a family man and spends every moment he can with his wife Brandi and newborn baby. Together they enjoy making new family memories and traveling to South Carolina to visit family.
Dr. Cole is the CEO of iCare Emergency Centers of Frisco and Fort Worth. With wait times of less than five minutes, patients at iCare will be seen by board-certified emergency physicians and registered emergency nurses. The facilities offer on-site lab testing, X-ray, CT, and ultrasound services. Virtual urgent care services allow patients to be seen — and diagnosed — by a board-certified physician without leaving the comfort of home. For more information on these or other services, visit iCare online at www.icare-er.com or call the Fort Worth center (Chisholm Trail & Sycamore School Road) at 469-754-8634.
