Don’t want to treat you like babies, but did you get your flu shot last year? Following the question, did you get one for yourself this year as well? If you are taking such precautions to be absurd or worthless, then I’m sorry but you are making your worth come less.
You may not be aware of the fact that because of flu approximately 61k people struggled and ended up their lives last season itself (between Oct 2018 and May 2019). As per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, this flu can cause 12k deaths in a mild season per year. Recently, coronavirus is a matter of concern all over the world, you need to save yourself from coronavirus.
Prominent Side Effects of Flu Shots
I hope now you will be taking vaccines every year. This is important. Since this is medication you must know that approx. every medicine has minute to crucial side effects. Likewise, it is a piece of stringent advice that you go through all the possible side effects that you can come across because of vaccination.
1. Shoulder Sourness
If you get a vaccine in your arms, also known as an intramuscular injection, you have a probability of 10 to 64 percent of some muscle pain in your upper arm. The reason for such soreness is that the needle is penetrated directly into your muscle, which causes small damage to the cells in that portion. This, in turn, is reflected by your immune system in the form of such soreness.
You can take an otc pain reliever to pass your days with the soured shoulder. If your pain does not diminish and stays for long, it is better to see a doctor in that case.
2. Redness Or Swelling At The Injection Site
Whenever you prick your body with a sharp thing, it is normal to get reddish and a bit bulged out. This is one of the side effects that you can experience after taking the vaccination. The redness and bulginess will get normal on their own within a few days, but if they are bugging you, then you can try applying ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). These will help you tackle all those red pigments and bulgy appearance.
3. Body Aches
Vaccines are notorious for the fact that they cause body aches. Any vaccination that you take, be it the must birth vaccination or any flu vaccine, is a common side effect that you will suffer from. There is nothing to worry so much about this, you will get okay within 2 weeks.
4. Itching At The Injection Point Or Rashes Over Your Complete Body
Itching or rashes after vaccination are a signal of allergic reactions. It is very rare to get an allergic reaction to a flu shot, but still, if you see any such responses please consult your provider. If you have already suffered such a response to the previous vaccines, then you are one of those who are recommended to skip such flu shots.
5. Fever
Generally, you will not get a fever because of vaccines, and even if you get, that will be a low-grade fever. A low-grade fever means a temperature below 101. In case you experience high fever then do not blame vaccines because they do not transmit any fever to you. Maybe you have got a high fever for some other reason.
6. Dizziness Or Fainting
This is not exactly a flu shot side effect, but this is because of the needle phobia. A lot of people feel scared of injections (me included), and that fear leads to dizziness and faintness.
7. Guillain- Barre Syndrome
Guillain- Barre Syndrome, abbreviated as GBS is an auto-immune ailment that is triggered by a huge range of things, from vaccines to influenza. They deteriorate the nervous system and result in symptoms like muscle weakness, numbness, difficulty walking or an odd gait, and even paralysis. You may recover within a week or may extend to 10 years.
These are some of the side effects that you can experience after getting vaccinated. You may wonder if it is better to stay away from these side effects. I understand, but then also you are not free from any harm that you may confront because of not taking such vaccines. Vaccines are for your protection from viruses that are more dangerous than the above-mentioned side effects.
Play smart and be safe.
Also Read: Flu In Elderly