Is it possible to wet a flu shot and swim after vaccination?

Many patients wonder whether it is possible to wet a flu shot. Answering this question, it should be noted that most doctors recommend delaying taking water procedures. At least 6 hours must pass between the injection and water exposure, after which you are allowed to take a light shower. At the same time, you should not rub the injection site with a washcloth or apply soap products.

Is it possible to wet the injection site?

Many people wonder if it is possible to wet the flu shot site. This is one of the most popular questions among those who are about to or have already been vaccinated. Doctors disagree. Some are convinced that water will not cause harm to the vaccinated human body, others recommend refraining from water procedures after an injection, as a negative reaction may occur.

It is strongly recommended not to wet the vaccination site immediately after the procedure. The administered drug promotes the formation of stable protective functions against the influenza pathogen. Drops of water that fall on an unhealed wound can provoke a negative reaction due to a connection with the vaccine. As a result, the likelihood of unforeseen consequences for human health increases, depending on the introduced strain. One may react neutrally to exposure to water, while the other may provoke a severe allergy.

Also, many experts advise avoiding exposure to water at the injection site in the first day after vaccination. This is especially true for visiting saunas, baths, open reservoirs, and public swimming pools. However, some health care workers allow patients to take a light shower on the day of vaccination (5 to 6 hours after the injection).

When answering the question, is it possible to wash after getting a flu shot, it should be noted that most doctors agree on carrying out water procedures after a day or three. This is due to the possible development of a negative response of the body to the administered drug. If an allergy occurs, the doctor must be sure that the reaction occurred precisely to the vaccine, and not to external irritants (hard water, washcloth or soap products).

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It is very important not to rub the injection site with a washcloth, towel or scratching, even if itching occurs in this area. This can be dangerous, since an infection can penetrate into a scratched wound, which can result in the development of an inflammatory process. This phenomenon most often manifests itself as swelling of the injured area, pain, and discoloration of the skin. Do not tape the affected area. In this case, you need to consult a doctor.

Water procedures after flu vaccination: rules and tips

There is no need to protect the injection site in any way. Water will not have a negative effect; the site of the flu shot can be wetted.
The water should not be too hot or too cold. Hypothermia and overheating have equally harmful effects on the body after vaccination.
It is not recommended to use hard washcloths or body scrubs. They can injure the injection site, which can lead to an inflammatory process and increased itching. You should also not use thick, rough towels after a shower or bath.
There is no need to rub or knead the shoulder where the injection was given.
If an adult or child after vaccination feels unwell while standing in the shower or lying in the bath, it is necessary to interrupt the water procedures, provide the person with peace and carefully monitor the condition. If there is any worsening, it is recommended to contact your doctor.

Why can't you swim after vaccination?

Flu vaccination can occur in two ways:

By instilling a healing solution into the nasal cavity.
Injection into the arm area.

The first vaccination method allows you to wash at any time after the procedure, since water will not harm human health. As for the second option, it can be noted that after the injection there remains a small wound. After steaming it, sudden hypothermia or rubbing, some side effects are possible:

increase in temperature indicators;
the appearance of itching, swelling, redness in the area where the drug was administered;
malaise, general weakening of the body;
pain syndrome;
the occurrence of compaction.

Answering the question of how long not to wash after a flu shot, it can be noted that experts advise avoiding water procedures for two to three days. When taking a shower in the first days after vaccination, you should avoid getting hot water on the wound and do not use a washcloth.

Exposure to hot water or prolonged exposure to a bathhouse/sauna can cause skin irritation or an inflammatory process in the area where the vaccine was administered. Also, the cause of these phenomena can be damage to the skin when rubbing or combing the wound. These actions should especially not be performed if there is pain. In addition, doctors do not advise swimming in a cold pool, as a result of which the patient may catch a cold or become infected with other diseases from other people, which is extremely undesirable.

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How is a medical exemption from vaccination issued?

This issue is now of concern to many people whose occupations are included in the list of professions for which in some regions of Russia a decision has been made on mandatory vaccination against COVID-19. Without vaccination, you may be suspended from work. But what to do and what document to show to the employer if vaccination is contraindicated?

“Indeed, the vaccine is contraindicated for some people. For example, if a person has been diagnosed with hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine or a vaccine containing similar components, if there is a history of severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema), explained Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko. — If there are acute infectious and non-infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases, vaccination is carried out two to four weeks after recovery or remission. The procedure for obtaining a medical exemption from vaccination is as follows: the presence of medical contraindications is determined by the attending physician or a doctor of the specialty whose competence determines the contraindications against vaccination.”

Contraindications can be either permanent or temporary. The decision to issue a certificate is made by the doctors of the organization where the patient is being observed for the disease that caused the withdrawal.

“If it is determined that the patient has temporary contraindications to vaccination, then a certificate is issued for up to 30 days, followed by consultation with the specialist who issued the certificate,” the head of the Ministry of Health emphasized.

How many days after vaccination can I take a bath?

Answering the question, after how many days can you wash , it should be noted that doctors do not prohibit carrying out hygiene procedures. Taking a shower is allowed 5–6 hours after vaccination, provided the patient is in good health.

For 1 day. After administering a medication, you must not:

Wash in the bathroom.
Swim in pools and open water. Being in cold or too hot water is especially dangerous.
Visit the bathhouse/sauna.
Injure the injection area by rubbing with a washcloth, combing, or wearing clothes made of rough materials.
Apply medical plaster to seal the wound.
Being in the rain.

By following all medical recommendations, you can avoid negative consequences, including infection.

There's no need to run away

After any vaccination - be it vaccination against the flu, or against tuberculosis, and so on, you should not immediately run away from the clinic or mobile vaccination point to go about your business. It is recommended to wait next to the doctors for about half an hour. This will minimize the risk of developing severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock. This is the most severe and dangerous complication. In addition, delayed reactions are possible, although they also appear during the day of vaccination (usually in the evening). This is usually a lump or redness at the injection site. There is nothing wrong with this; the reaction does not require urgent consultation with a doctor or immediate treatment. However, there are atypical reactions, such as swelling, severe pain, a sharp increase or decrease in temperature at the injection point. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.

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What to do if you do get the vaccine wet?

Flu vaccination should not greatly disrupt the patient’s usual lifestyle. After administering the drug, it is recommended to stay for 30 minutes. in a medical facility to monitor the possible occurrence or absence of side effects during vaccination. A negative reaction may occur due to intolerance to some components of the medication.

It is recommended not to wet the injection site for at least 24 hours, as any impact on damaged skin can lead to undesirable consequences. If the patient wets the vaccine, there is no need to worry about this. It is necessary to monitor the area where the vaccine is administered. If redness, swelling, thickening, itching, or a rise in body temperature appear, you should immediately seek medical help. It is very important to avoid mechanical impact on the wound so as not to worsen the situation.

All about flu vaccination

Autumn is coming and everyone, in addition to warm clothes, umbrellas and strong shoes, needs other, no less important protection. With the onset of cold weather and wet weather, a person needs help from microorganisms that attack us from the beginning of autumn until late spring. Now is the time to take steps to protect yourself from the flu.

Today, one of the methods proposed by doctors to combat the virus is vaccination. Should you get a flu shot? Who is it shown to? Who should refrain from this injection? How to choose the right protection and what precautions should be taken before and after vaccination?

Any vaccination is a means that helps launch the body’s own defenses, helps it fight infection, preparing it to face the virus. Basically, the drugs protect against the virus for 6 months.

Why you need a flu shot

Everyone knows about the method of transmission of influenza through airborne droplets, but many forget that you can become infected even by talking with a sick person.

The incubation period of the virus is very short, only 1-2 days, during which time there are no symptoms, and the microorganism is already actively multiplying.
The virus multiplies at lightning speed after entering the upper respiratory tract. After just 8 hours, its number increases into the thousands.
The optimal time for flu vaccination is the beginning of autumn (September and October).
The disease leads to numerous complications: pneumonia, kidney and brain diseases, and death.

Everyone needs vaccination, especially certain categories of the population that are at risk:

category of people who are often ill for a long time;
people, regardless of age, with chronic diseases of internal organs;
elderly people;
medical workers;
employees of orphanages, schools and kindergartens;
Is it possible to get a flu shot if you have cancer? - yes, it is indicated for all people with reduced immunity;
all people who have been in organized groups for a long time (living in a hostel, nursing homes).

How and where to get a flu shot

In the medical office of a kindergarten or school
In equipped offices at enterprises
In hospitals
Flu vaccinations are provided for a fee at medical commercial organizations.

A person comes for an appointment, is examined by a doctor, sent for examinations, after which, if the person is healthy, he is sent to the treatment room for vaccination.

Can a nursing mother get a flu vaccine? - yes, it is possible and necessary. A woman’s body, weakened after childbirth, is extremely susceptible to infections, and the flu can lead to serious consequences if the immune system is weak (nursing mothers sleep poorly and are nervous a lot). In addition, such vaccinations are another way to protect the baby, because all protective cells are transferred to the child with mother’s milk.

Can I get a flu shot when planning a pregnancy? - not only possible, but also necessary. During the preparation of a woman for pregnancy, it is necessary to protect the body as much as possible from possible infections. Flu during pregnancy can not only lead to impaired fetal development, but also to miscarriage. Therefore, vaccination will save the mother and the unborn baby from infection.

Should my child get a flu shot? Why vaccinate your baby? Due to the prevalence and severity of the disease, which threatens numerous complications, vaccination is indicated for all children, especially the weak and those with chronic diseases. Children are also included in the category of those in need, so they are vaccinated for free.

An important question for parents is whether to give their child a flu shot in kindergarten? Children, more than anyone else, need additional protection against the flu. In a crowded team, the likelihood of getting sick is much higher. Therefore, children are classified as frequently ill. How to properly protect a kindergarten child from illness?

Ideally, all children in the group should be vaccinated.
Adults living in the same area as the child also need to be vaccinated.
Three days before the proposed vaccination, it is necessary to exclude as much as possible the baby’s contact with other people, especially those who are sick.
For three days after vaccination, he should not be taken out to places with a large number of people (there may be people with the flu there).

It is better if the child stays at home for a week after vaccination. Thus, the likelihood of getting sick during the flu vaccination will be reduced when the immune system is weakened.

Possible reactions and complications

Despite widespread propaganda against flu vaccinations, this is a simple and reliable protection if all the conditions are met correctly:

maximum universal vaccination coverage of others;
isolate sick people, if there are any in the house;
you need to try not to come across sick people, because people who are already infected often come for vaccination without realizing it;
you need to find out more about the vaccine itself from health workers.

How to behave after vaccination?

Can I drink alcohol after getting a flu shot? No, any stress on the liver is prohibited.
No need to eat exotic foods. Nobody knows how this will end. An allergy to a piece of unfamiliar fruit can be mistakenly considered a reaction to a vaccine.
Try to avoid crowded places and do not visit hospitals and clinics unless absolutely necessary. This simple rule will reduce the likelihood of meeting people infected with the virus.
Can I shower after getting a flu shot? It is not prohibited.

Do you need a flu shot? Yes, it is necessary, especially for those categories of the population that are at risk. Vaccination is important for those who do not want to be on sick leave for a long time. How to cope with the consequences of a flu shot? It is best to prevent them, which you need to worry about in advance by talking with your doctor.

Doctor of the clinical examination room Prosekina N.A.

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