No one likes getting a flu shot, but the benefits of getting vaccinated tend to outweigh the pain. Push through the sting this year, and next year could be relatively pain free.
Prior to the 2010 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only recommended the influenza vaccination for children ages six months to 18 years old, and for adults aged 50 years and older. However, due to the 2009 fatal outbreak of influenza, the CDC now recommends universal vaccination across all age groups.
“We need to be immunized to prevent disease, and flu infection is associated with an estimated 36,000 deaths each influenza season,” said Dr. Ralph Tripp, Professor and GRA Chair in Vaccine and Therapeutic Development of the Department of Infectious Diseases at University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Unfortunately, the benefit of being vaccinated comes with pain. According to Dr. William Schaffner, Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, traditional flu shots are often associated with muscle ache and soreness in the arm during and after the shot. The shot is administered deep into the muscle using a thicker needle and must be held in the body for several seconds. Anxiety about pain and the injection is not uncommon, and for some, this fear is enough to deter from them shot entirely.
“I normally dread getting my flu shot,” sophomore Jenna Rhodes said. “If the smaller needle shot was available for people my age I would definitely get it.”
Next year Rhodes may get her wish.
According to Donna Cary, Director of Public Relations at Sanofi Pasteur Vaccine Corporation, the intradermal shot is designed to be significantly less painful than the traditional flu shot, which is injected deep into the upper-arm muscle. This intradermal shot uses a needle that is 90 percent shorter and thinner than the needles typically used for the flu shot. The needle is less than a tenth of an inch long and about the width of a human hair.
“With the Intradermal microinjection system, the intradermal administration of vaccine is reliable, quick and easy,” Cary said. “We hope that people who have been reluctant to get a flu shot either because of the fear of needles or the muscle pain will find this new option attractive.”
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Adventis Group, is currently the largest company devoted entirely to human vaccines in the world. The company released the intradermal flu vaccine last year, and the FDA approved the vaccine in May. It is approved for those between the ages of 18 and 64 and will soon be offered at local Walgreens, CVS, and doctors’ offices.
Senior Lindsey Taff looks forward to a time of being able to be vaccinated without pain.
“I would love to get a flu shot next season that is more effective and less painful,” Taff said. “It would be great to feel confident that I am protected against the flu with barely any pain involved.”
According to the CDC Intradermal Vaccine informational webpage, the intradermal vaccine is considerably less painful than a regular flu shot but is also more likely to cause side effects such as redness, itching or swelling. These usually go away within three days.
“Typically the side effects are considered minor and resolve in a few minutes to days,” Cary said. “Overall, based on clinical trial data they are mild and resolve quickly.”
According to a Sept. 20 online Time article, the new vaccine contains 40 percent less antigen, the vaccine fluid inside the syringe, than the regular flu shot. The intradermal shot has been proven to be as effective as the traditional shot despite the lower dosage. As a result, the same amount of vaccine can be used to make more doses of the intradermal vaccine, a useful feature if a flu-shot shortage were to occur this season.
“We have oodles of flu vaccine available,” Schaffner said. “I think the smaller dosage will enable everyone to get vaccinated this year.”
