People sometimes get sick after a flu shot for any of these reasons:
- They may have already been incubating the flu before they got the shot.
- They may catch the flu before the shot takes effect, which takes 2 weeks.
- They may catch a different illness or even another type of flu.
- For people with a weakened immune system, the flu shot is sometimes not fully effective against its targeted strain of flu.
None of these is caused by the flu shot, but they show that a flu shot is not a 100% guarantee against getting sick.
The CDC gives these other tips for avoiding the flu and helping others avoid the flu (especially important for caregivers):
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If you are sick, stay home and keep your distance from others.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Stay physically active.
- Manage your stress.
- Drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
Those are handy tips all year!