Is it True That Getting a Flu Shot Can End Up Making You Sick?

It’s a common excuse for refraining from getting a flu shot. People think that getting the injection will cause them to get the flu or flu-like symptoms, but is there any evidence that the flu shot can actually make you sick?

WFAA recently investigated the issue and found that overall, illness from the injection is a widespread myth. They spoke with the Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern, Dr. Trish Perl, who said that only about one to two percent of patients who receive the vaccine become ill from it.

Perl adds that it’s important for people to make the effort to get vaccinated for their own health, and the health of Americans as a whole. “If we vaccinate a large number of the population that vaccinating that large number actually protects the entire population.  It’s what we call a herd effect,” Perl told the news.

In 2015, the Sacramento Bee investigated the same question about flu shots and spoke with pharmacist and blogger Dave Fluitt who said that “…about 30 percent of people will experience coldlike symptoms 24 to 48 hours after getting the flu shot. This is the body mounting an immune response.” And even if you feel these very temporary effects, it’s much better than weeks of the flu.