Millions of people get the flu every year. It’s a potentially dangerous disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Each year, thousands of people in the U.S. die from the flu, and many more get hospitalized.

Influenza circulates continuously, causing year-round and seasonal epidemics in some tropical and temperate regions. Fortunately, an annual seasonal flu vaccine can prevent those vaccinated from being afflicted by the flu.

Due to the constant mutation of circulating flu viruses, flu vaccines are changed annually to match the virus strains currently affecting people. There are many flu viruses, so the annual vaccine is created to protect against three or four viruses that are likely to cause disease in the next flu season.

Influenza vaccines do not cause the flu and may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Over the past 50 years, hundreds of millions of Americans have been vaccinated against the flu, and there has been plenty of research supporting the safety of flu vaccines.

Why Is the Flu Vaccine Important?

Most people who get the flu have mild symptoms. But for some, it can be severe and even lead to death. Severe complications from the flu are more likely to occur in babies, older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain long-term health conditions such as asthma or diabetes. Getting an annual vaccination is the best way to lower your chances of getting the flu and spreading it to others.

What Is the Flu?

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It’s contagious, meaning it can spread from person to person. Common symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever and chills
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches

Not everyone with the flu will have a fever, while some will throw up and have diarrhea – especially children. The flu isn’t just a simple cold. It’s worse and can potentially cause serious complications such as:

• Worsening of long-term health problems like heart failure or asthma
• Pneumonia (lung infection)
• Multi-organ failure
• Sepsis, a life-threatening inflammatory condition
• Inflammation of the heart, muscles, or brain

The flu can spread when:

• Someone with the flu sneezes, coughs, or talks, and droplets from their nose or mouth get into the noses or mouths of people nearby
• Someone touches a surface with the flu virus and then their eyes, nose, or mouth

Infected persons can spread the flu, whether they exhibit symptoms or not.

How Does the Flu Vaccine Work?

The flu vaccine works by stimulating your body’s immune system to attack and fight off the flu virus. It takes about 10-14 days for protection to develop after vaccination. Everyone aged six months or older should get the flu shot, with rare exceptions.

It’s particularly critical for high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, healthcare workers, and older adults. The very young are more likely than adults to develop complications from the flu, so they must stay up-to-date on their flu vaccinations.

Who Should Not Get the Vaccine?

Some people who may not be eligible for the flu vaccine include:

• Infants under the age of six months
• People with a history of severe reaction to a flu vaccine
• Some people with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a severe paralyzing illness. Talk to your doctor about your GBS history
• If you’re feeling unwell, talk to your doctor about your symptoms
• People with severe allergies to the flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine

Your healthcare provider can provide more information.

Side Effects and Reactions

Flu vaccines, like any medical product, can cause side effects. Most side effects are mild and short-lived. Common side effects and reactions of the flu vaccine include:

• Redness, soreness, or swelling from the shot
• Nausea
• Headache
• Sore muscles
• Fever

These are typical symptoms and are partly due to your body’s immune system reacting to the vaccine. With any vaccine, keep an eye out for unusual symptoms, such as behavioral changes, high fever, or signs of a severe allergic reaction after getting the flu shot.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction typically appear within a few minutes of receiving the vaccine and include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Behavior changes
• Numbness
• Paleness
• Weakness
• Hives
• Dizziness or a fast heartbeat
• Wheezing or hoarseness

If you experience any of these reactions, seek medical attention right away. The flu shot has been reported to cause conditions such as:

• Traverse Myelitis
• Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
• CIPD
• Seizures
• Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
• Encephalopathy
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Cerebellar ataxia
• Brachial neuritis

This is not an exhaustive list of severe side effects that have been linked to the flu shot. Everyone must take these reactions seriously because if they’re left untreated, it could lead to permanent flu vaccine injuries, and in extreme cases, death.

Whether the vaccine is administered by nasal spray or by injection (the flu shot), and whether it includes live or inactive cultures, the risk of a severe flu vaccine injury remains minimal.

How to Report a Serious Reaction to the Flu Vaccine?

Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you have a serious reaction to the flu vaccine. Your health care provider should report your reaction to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Alternatively, you can file a report yourself.

It’s crucial to report all severe reactions, even if the virus didn’t cause it. VAERS uses submitted data to help identify adverse vaccine reactions that may need further investigation. If you’re injured by a flu vaccine, suffer arm pain, illness, an adverse reaction, or another injury after receiving a flu shot, you may qualify for compensation.

We can help you navigate the process of seeking compensation through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Contact us directly for more information.

Possible Injuries

While the flu shot is safe for most people, it can cause unexpected, serious injuries. There is also the remote chance of a vaccine causing death. People who think their injury has resulted from a flu vaccine can file a compensation claim from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

This federal program was created to compensate people who may have been injured by certain vaccines. The funds help offset the cost of lost wages, medical bills, and other challenges arising from vaccination-related injuries.

VICP is fully funded by a small tax placed on every vaccine administered in the United States. Petitioners don’t have to pay any money to be compensated – not even legal fees. Unlike the traditional legal system, you’re not suing anybody or filing a lawsuit. Instead, you’re applying to receive compensation for money from a fund set up for people who qualify to receive the money.

The program pays attorney’s fees and costs separately from any compensation award, so you don’t have to worry about out-of-pocket expenses to prosecute the case.

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA) is a rare condition in which pain and loss of function in the shoulder occur after a vaccination. It can result in stiffness, weakness, shoulder pain, or nerve inflammation, usually within 48 hours of vaccine administration in people who had no shoulder issues before the injection. Though very rare, it may also result in nerve injury.

SIRVA is a preventable occurrence and results from an error in the manner of injection. It could be eradicated by training in proper injection technique.

What Is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. This leads to numbness, weakness, and tingling and can eventually paralyze the whole body. Some studies have found a possible small increased risk of GBS with injectable flu vaccines.

How Effective Is the Flu Vaccine?

The flu vaccine is the best protection against the flu. Although there’s a little chance you might get the flu, flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu viruses. If you get the flu after getting the flu vaccine, chances are the infection will be mild and won’t last as long.

Getting a flu shot will also stop you from spreading the flu to others who may be more at risk of serious problems from the flu.

Compensation for Flu Vaccine-related Injuries

Vaccine-related injury claims must be filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington D.C. Victims must file all claims within three years of their first symptom of the injury they believe was caused by a vaccine, or within two years of death believed to be caused by immunization. The amount of compensation depends on the extent of the flu vaccine-related illness.

How We Can Help

At Sadaka Associates, we have years of experience in vaccine-related litigation. Our detail-oriented approach ensures that you get the attention you deserve. We help clients from all over the country who have been injured by vaccination. We’ll help you file your claim and handle all the paperwork so you can focus on your health.