Can you get the flu after getting vaccinated? When is the best time to get vaccinated?

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— Vaccinations: I want to know everything — Is it possible to get the flu after vaccination?
In the autumn-winter period, the circulation of respiratory viruses, including influenza, intensifies, which causes mass morbidity in the population, even epidemics. According to WHO, up to 15% of the world's population falls ill with influenza every year, of which 3-5 million cases are considered severe, while up to 650 thousand people die from complications and related diseases.

The most effective means of prevention is vaccination. The effectiveness of vaccination is evidenced by the fact that over the past five years, while the coverage of the Russian population with flu vaccinations has increased by one and a half times, the incidence rate of influenza has decreased by almost 3 times.

But even vaccination cannot provide a 100% guarantee against influenza. The immunity of vaccinated people successfully copes with the influenza virus: in 80% of cases, vaccination completely prevents the development of the disease, and in 20% of cases it causes the flu to take a mild course without complications. According to statistics, in Yekaterinburg, among those sick with the flu, no more than 5-6% are vaccinated against the flu.

A biological feature of the influenza virus is its ability to constantly mutate and change its antigenic structure. The virus constantly changes its “appearance”, and as a result, the human immune system is not able to recognize it and quickly take measures to destroy it. Therefore, every year around the world, National Influenza Centers under the auspices of WHO select the virus strains that most frequently circulate in a given season on different continents, on the basis of which vaccines for influenza vaccinations are annually prepared only for the current epidemic season.

How does the flu shot work?

The formation of an immune response to vaccination imitates the natural infectious process and is characterized by periods:

1. The latent period lasts from the moment the antigenic material in the vaccine enters the body until specific antibodies appear in the blood plasma. This period lasts from several days to 2 weeks.
2. A period of growth when massive reproduction and an increase in the number of antibodies occurs.
3. Stationary period – the amount of antibodies (immunoglobulins) is maintained at a constant level.
4. The period of decreasing antibody titer.

After vaccination, special “memory cells” are retained in the body of an immunized person, which respond more quickly to repeated contact with the antigen (virus), bypassing the latent period. This allows the immune system, when encountering a real infection, to gain time and immediately initiate the launch of antibody synthesis, preventing the virus from strengthening, multiplying and spreading throughout the body.

This is the meaning of immunoprophylaxis - to prepare, “train” the immune system to protect the body from pathogenic microbes, destroying or weakening their effect in such a way that they cannot cause significant harm to the body.

What complications can occur after vaccinations?

• allergic reaction, if you are allergic to chicken protein, you should inform your doctor;
• the occurrence of a local reaction at the site of vaccine administration;
• after vaccination, symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection or flu may appear, but they are usually more easily tolerated than if an infection had occurred with an unattenuated virus.

From September to October 2021, you can get vaccinated under the compulsory medical insurance policy at your place of attachment or go to a private clinic. The average cost of vaccination is about 500 rubles.

There are contraindications. Specialist consultation is required.

Types of flu vaccines

Vaccines are divided into types depending on the mechanism of action, methods of production, composition and a number of other characteristics. There are live and non-live vaccines.

Live vaccines are prepared from attenuated viruses that lack pathogenicity (the ability to cause disease), but retain antigenic properties. Creates intense post-vaccination immunity. They are introduced into the body by spraying into the nose. They cause general symptoms (fever, feeling unwell, muscle pain) similar to the flu. Symptoms are short-lived and go away without treatment after 1-2 days.

Non-live vaccines contain viruses that have been inactivated by ultraviolet light or formaldehyde.

Chicken eggs serve as a substrate for the growth of viruses in the production of both live and inactivated vaccines.

Inactivated vaccines are:

• Whole virion, consisting of whole viral cells. Vaccines are highly effective, but due to the presence of all virus structures in their composition, they often cause both local and general reactions to the vaccine. Not recommended for use in pregnant women, children and people prone to allergic reactions.
• Split vaccines contain antigens from the external and internal fragments of destroyed viruses. They develop stable post-vaccination immunity and give a low percentage of local and general reactions to vaccination. The drugs are approved for vaccination of pregnant women.
• Subunit, which includes surface proteins-antigens of the influenza virus. These vaccines are carefully purified from other components, are highly effective, and have a minimal percentage of side effects. Approved for vaccination of children and pregnant women.

Examples of inactivated vaccines:

• Inactivated whole virion: Microflu.
• Split vaccines: Begrivak, Vaxigrip, Fluarix, Ultrix, Fluvaxin.
• Subunit vaccines: Agrippal, Grippol, Sovigripp.
• Live whole virion vaccine – Ultravac.

Mostly vaccines are trivalent - they contain 3 subtypes of the influenza virus), an example of a quadrivalent vaccine developed to protect against four subtypes of the influenza virus (2 types A and 2 types B) is the Grippol Quadrivalent vaccine.

Vaccination is the best immunity training

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. The vaccine contains an attenuated influenza virus, on which our immunity is “trained” to suppress the real disease. Influenza campaigns have been running for over 60 years and have proven their effectiveness. Timely use of the vaccine reduces the incidence of influenza by 70-90% among healthy people under 65 years of age and reduces the likelihood of complications by 30-70% for people over 65 years of age.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends getting vaccinated against influenza annually, as vaccinated immunity weakens over time and new types of the virus appear. Vaccination for Russian citizens is free. It is estimated that it is more profitable for the state to invest money in vaccines and prevent influenza, since the consequences of the epidemic can be much more expensive.

Traditionally, the peak of the spread of influenza occurs in the winter - at the end of January and beginning of February. The wave may begin as early as November, and given the fact that the body takes 2-4 weeks to develop immunity after vaccination, vaccination can be done from the beginning of autumn.

Every year, WHO makes a forecast about possible influenza strains that will be active in the coming season. This year's vaccines included the A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus; A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus; and B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (lineage B/Victoria/2/87). Quadrivalent vaccines containing two influenza B viruses include an additional B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus. In Moscow, you can get vaccinated against the flu from the beginning of September at any clinic, as well as at multifunctional and mobile points near metro stations.

It is important to know that there are contraindications against vaccination, which are divided into temporary and absolute. Absolute ones include a tendency to allergic reactions, bronchial asthma and some other diseases. A temporary exemption from vaccination is given, for example, by acute respiratory viral infections.

Unfortunately, the vaccine will not completely protect against the flu. Anyone vaccinated can get sick. But vaccination significantly eases the course of the disease and reduces the risk of complications. Therefore, in addition to vaccination, one should not forget about other methods of prevention. These are the well-known ventilation of rooms, frequent hand washing, general strengthening of the body and limiting contact with sick people.

At-risk groups

There are 2 risk groups:

• according to epidemic indications,
• for medical reasons.

The risk group for epidemic indications includes people who have an increased likelihood of contracting influenza:

• Teachers, medical workers, service industry employees (salespeople, hairdressers), police officers and other persons who, due to the nature of their professional activities, come into contact with a large number of people.
• Children in organized groups: kindergartens, schools. Students of colleges and institutes.
• Persons living in closed institutions where the virus can spread quickly: military barracks, prisons, dormitories.

The risk group for medical reasons includes people with weakened immune systems who are predicted to have a severe course of influenza with the development of complications:

• People of older age groups (after 65 years).
• Children and adults with chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and endocrine pathologies in the decompensation stage.
• Persons in specialized groups: children's homes, boarding schools, homes for the disabled and boarding houses for the elderly.
• Pregnant women and women in the early postpartum period.
• Children from 6 months to 2 years.

Contraindications

For all influenza vaccines:

• hypersensitivity to chicken protein or any other component of the vaccine
• severe fever or allergic reactions after previous vaccination with influenza vaccines.

Influenza vaccination is postponed until the end of acute manifestations of the disease and exacerbation of chronic diseases. For mild ARVI, acute intestinal and other diseases, vaccination is carried out immediately after the patient has established a normal temperature.

The live vaccine is not used in children under 3 years of age, pregnant women and people with impaired immunity.

Everyone around is talking about mixed infections. What it is?

We are talking about infection with different diseases, one superimposed on the other, which increases the load on the immune system. In light of the upcoming fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic and a possible flu epidemic, some epidemiologists are warning that people will catch both Covid and the flu at the same time. According to the Center for Hygienic Education of the Population under Rospotrebnadzor, as a result, the disease is more severe, intensive care is more often required, and the chances of developing complications and deaths are higher.

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To what extent will the fire of the pandemic heat Russia?

“We can only talk theoretically about mixed infections, since during the coronavirus pandemic we have not recorded an outbreak of influenza in any country. It is very difficult to say what will happen. And yet there is such a phenomenon - the interference of viruses: if a cell is infected with one of them, then it, as a rule, becomes immune to the other. If there is a possible threat of mixed infections, it is for people with severely weakened immune systems,” says Vladimir Bolibok. — What is accurately predicted is sequential rather than simultaneous infection. The resource of the immune system is depleted by the time it encounters the second virus. Serious consequences are possible."

Lydia Soprun shares the same opinion. According to her, it is premature to talk about the consequences of a mixed infection of covid and influenza; additional scientific research is needed. Nevertheless, other agents remain, such as rhinosyncytial infection, parainfluenza, rotaviruses and other acute respiratory viral infections, and we should not forget about bacterial infections: Staphylococcus aureus, tuberculosis and others, the expert recalls.

“Different types of microorganisms form a microbial film. In order for pathogenic microflora to settle and take place on the mucous membranes, where there is already its own microbiocinosis, it is necessary to have sufficient aggression factors and at the same time factors of protection against human immunity. So infection is possible in the event of an epidemic process. There are three links in it: microorganisms and their capabilities, a macroorganism with immune, evolutionarily developed defense mechanisms, and mechanisms of infection transmission. Thus, a number of chronic diseases, a sedentary lifestyle and other social factors, such as the use of alcohol, psychotropic and narcotic drugs, will contribute to the occurrence of infection,” sums up the epidemiologist.

What is incompatible with vaccination?

It is widely believed that after vaccination you should not take water treatments - a bath, a shower or in any way wet the injection site. This is not entirely true - you can wash yourself, but you cannot swim in the sea, river, lake or pool, where there is a risk of encountering infections, for the first couple of days after the manipulation. When performing home bath procedures, it is better to give preference to a light shower, without rubbing with a sponge and staying in hot water for a long time, in order to protect the injection site from inflammation.

Many people are also interested in the possibility of drinking alcohol while the vaccine is being administered and immunity against infection begins to develop. Doctors are categorical in their opinion - after vaccination you should refrain from drinking alcohol for at least three days. At best, the vaccination will be ineffective. In the worst case, it will provoke a disease. You should also give up not only alcohol, but also heavy fatty, fried foods, as well as known natural allergens - citrus fruits and chocolate, so that nothing prevents the body from producing the necessary antibodies to the influenza virus.