If you feel a bit under the weather, trudging out to your local pharmacy and getting a flu shot is probably the last thing on your to-do list. After all, who wants to do anything (other than stay in bed and watch reality TV) once the sniffles set in—let alone get dressed, mask up, and leave the house?
If you end up spending the week in bed because you feel wiped out, fair enough—but if you have to go out anyway (say, to stock up on tissues and cough syrup) is getting the flu shot while sick a bad idea? After all, infectious disease experts say getting vaccinated as soon as possible should be a priority, since it takes a bit of time—up to two weeks—for your body to build up flu-fighting antibodies.
So…can you get the flu shot while sick?
It really depends on how sick you’re feeling. First, some important context: Flu season ramped up a bit early in the US this year; the virus has already caused an estimated 880,000 illnesses, 6,900 hospitalizations, and 360 deaths, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those numbers are, in fact, pretty wild: The country hasn’t seen this many flu-related hospitalizations this early in the season in more than a decade, and flu activity is already high in many states.
In other words, you’re going to want to get your flu shot ASAP—and mild cold symptoms shouldn’t necessarily stop you if you can get your appointment booked. “It is generally thought to be fine to get most vaccines, including the flu shot, if you have mild symptoms of an illness and no fever,” Cory Fisher, DO, a family medicine doctor at Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. Specifically, you shouldn’t let a sore throat, headache, mild cough, or a stuffy or runny nose stop you from proceeding with your vaccination, he adds.
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Other symptoms, however, should give you some pause—namely a fever, intense body aches, and heavy fatigue. Basically, if you’re feeling awful enough to not go to school or work, you should consider holding off on getting the flu vaccine until you’re feeling a bit better, Dr. Fisher says.
It’s not that getting vaccinated while sick will hurt you (it won’t!), but it might be in your best interest to wait because symptoms like a fever signal that your body is already working pretty hard to fight whatever’s ailing you, per the Cleveland Clinic. And you want your immune system to be fully ready to respond to the vaccine when you do get it.
Plus, the flu shot itself can potentially cause side effects, so if your symptoms start to worsen, your doctor may have a harder time figuring out whether a prior infection is to blame or if you’re having a reaction to the vaccine. (Of course, you should take your health history into account before you get any vaccine, especially while sick. Always check in with your doctor first if you have a chronic condition or allergies.)
Source: SELF
