A pediatrician addresses common myths that keep people from taking the flu shot — and the flu — seriously.

Published: November 7, 2022 | Updated: September 5, 2024

Should my child get a flu vaccine? Can you get sick from the flu shot? Does the flu vaccine work? There are a lot of questions about the flu shot and the flu out there — and a lot of conflicting answers, depending on whom you ask. Let’s go through the myths to uncover the truth.

With respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 also expected to surge in the fall and winter months, pediatricians are urging families to get their kids vaccinated for RSV (if less than 8 months old or under 2 years of age and in a high risk category) and COVID-19 (vaccine updated for 2024-2025) this fall. In newly released guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommends children receive their flu vaccinations by the end of October. This includes all eligible kids 6 months and older.

Flu myth No. 1: I’ve never received a flu shot, and I’ve never had the flu.

You’ve been lucky. Flu is very contagious. Each year, flu affects tens of millions of people. As with any illness, you don’t get sick until you do. A flu vaccine is your best shot at prevention. Flu vaccine is recommended for those 6 months and older.

Flu myth No 2: The flu shot makes me sick.

It can’t, period. The flu shot is inactivated, which means it is a dead virus. The intranasal vaccine is a weakened virus that sometime causes temporary congestion, but not it does not cause flu disease. Most people get a flu shot around the same time there is a rise in respiratory viruses. It is very common to be exposed to another virus (or even the flu) right around the same time the vaccine is given. Also, it takes up to two weeks for your body to start building immunity to flu, so it’s possible to actually contract the flu (not from the vaccine) during this time.

Very mild symptoms (soreness, aches, redness or swelling at the injection site, and low-grade fever) after flu vaccine is given are due to the immune system mounting a response. These are nothing compared with the duration and intensity of symptoms when actually contracting the flu: cough, runny nose, sore throat and high fevers.

Flu myth No. 3: The flu shot never seems to work.

While it’s true that some years the flu shot works better than others, any protection is better than no protection. This year’s vaccine for children includes two A and one B flu virus strains to protect against the three major strains of the virus expected to circulate this season. If you don’t vaccinate against the flu, you are guaranteeing 0% effectiveness. Also, those who are vaccinated typically experience milder illness than those who are unvaccinated.

Flu myth No. 4: It’s just the flu. It’s not that big of a deal.

Flu is a contagious disease and can cause serious illness. This isn’t simply “the common cold.” Flu can lead to pneumonia, bloodstream infections, asthma attacks or even death. Every year, kids die from flu.

Flu myth No. 5: I’ll just take elderberry, Oscillococcinum or vitamin C instead.

Elderberry is an herbal product that has fairly weak and limited evidence of effectiveness against the flu. Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic preparation derived from Muscovy duck liver and heart, was noted by a Cochrane systematic review to have insufficient evidence for prevention or treatment of flu. Vitamin C has never shown to be effective at treatment for anything other than vitamin C deficiency. A flu vaccine is more cost-effective and might actually work.

Justin M. Morgan, M.D., FAAP, is a pediatrician with Norton Children’s Medical Group.