What to Expect When You Get a Flu Shot

The flu shot is the most common vaccine in the United States. More than half of all U.S. adults and children get a flu shot each year, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend vaccination against influenza for most people ages six months and older.

When getting a flu shot, it is important to know what to expect. While flu shot injuries are rare, a very small percentage of recipients are diagnosed with these injuries each year. By knowing what to expect, you can reduce your risk of injury, and you can seek medical treatment (and assert your legal rights) when necessary.

7 Important Facts to Know About the Flu Shot

Here are seven important facts to know about the flu shot:

1. The CDC Recommends the Flu Shot for Most People Age Six Months and Older

While the CDC recommends that most people age six months and older get an annual flu shot, there are some exceptions. For example, the CDC recommends against influenza immunization for people who have a severe, life-threatening allergy to any of the flu shot’s ingredients. The CDC also advises that individuals who have a non-life-threatening allergy, who have Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and who are not feeling well consult with their doctors prior to getting vaccinated.

2. The Flu Shot Should Be Injected Into the Deltoid Muscle

During vaccine administration, the flu shot should be injected into the deltoid muscle. This muscle is located in the upper arm, just below the shoulder. Generally speaking, vaccine recipients should either roll up their sleeves or remove their long sleeves rather than pulling their collar down over their shoulder. This will help minimize the risk of a vaccine administration error and possible flu shot injury.

3. The Needle Should Be Inserted at a 90-Degree Angle

The CDC also advises that the needle should be inserted at a 90-degree angle to the surface of the skin. This ensures that the vaccine is injected at the correct depth below the skin and also helps minimize the risk of injury.

4. The Flu Shot has Several Common Side Effects

It is normal to experience certain side effects after receiving a flu shot. For example, the CDC advises that the following side effects are common and that they, “are generally mild and go away on their own within a few days”:

• Headache
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Nausea
• Soreness, redness, and swelling at the injection site

5. Severe Pain and Other Symptoms May Require Medical Treatment

While mild soreness after a flu shot is normal, pain after a flu shot may be a sign of a flu shot injury. Other possible signs of flu shot injuries include (but are not limited to) difficulty breathing, difficulty walking, loss of muscle strength, numbness, and sudden changes in heart rate or blood pressure. Individuals who experience these symptoms following a flu shot—or whose children experience these symptoms following a flu shot—should see their doctors promptly.

6. The Flu Shot Cannot Cause the Flu

One risk you don’t have to worry about when getting a flu shot is getting the flu. As the CDC states, “the flu vaccine cannot cause flu.” While it is true that some flu vaccines contain small amounts of the flu virus, this virus is “inactivated” and no longer infectious.

7. Individuals Diagnosed with Flu Vaccine Injuries Can File Claims Under the VICP

For individuals who are diagnosed with flu shot injuries (and for parents whose children are diagnosed with flu shot injuries), the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) provides a source of financial recovery. The VICP is a federal program that has paid billions of dollars in compensation to vaccine recipients and families, and it makes this compensation available on a “no-fault” basis.