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Should you, your child get a flu shot if you've already had the flu? Yes, say doctors

After a bout with the flu, the last thing you might want to do is head back to the doctor for a flu shot. But that's exactly what you should do if you haven't gotten a flu shot yet this season - and even if you've had the flu, doctors said.

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Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
, Go Ask Mom editor

After a bout with the flu, the last thing you might want to do is head back to the doctor for a flu shot.

But that's exactly what you should do if you haven't gotten a flu shot yet this season - and even if you've had the flu, doctors said.

The flu shot covers four strains of the flu. So, if you've caught one of them, you still are at risk of catching another one before the season ends sometime later this spring. The flu season often peaks in February or March.

"There can be multiple strains," said Dr. Adam Ottley, a pediatrician at UNC Pediatrics at Garner. "So even if you test positive and are diagnosed with flu, I still recommend that person get a flu shot because it may protect against a different strain."
Hospitals across the Triangle are seeing "record number" of flu cases coming through their doors. Ottley, along with Dr. Jill Wright, also a pediatrician at UNC Pediatrics at Garner, say they are seeing a higher than average number of patients with the illness.

"This week, we've had a lot of positives and, for the most part, kids are handling it very with supportive care, hydration, plenty of rest and staying out of school," Wright said.

The pediatricians both said they recommend that individuals with the flu get a flu shot if they haven't already.

"We've had more than one patient last year who got the flu twice," Ottley said. "Tested positive twice, likely different strains. I'll mention that to families just so they better understand this idea that there can be multiple strains."

They also emphasize to patients and their parents that the flu vaccine doesn't cause the flu, though there might be some side effects.

Those side effects include soreness or redness at the site of the injection, headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches. Those symptoms are mild when compared to the flu itself, they said. And they last for only a few days at most. The flu can leave people sick for a full week - or more.

What's more, the vaccine doesn't take full effect until 10 to 14 days after the injection. So, you can catch the flu if you come in contact with the virus soon after you get the shot and before it becomes fully effective. The best time to get a flu shot is before the end of October.

"Honestly, that's one of the reasons why I recommend people get the flu shot early in the season," Ottley said. "If they are going to a location where they might encounter someone with the flu, that's putting themselves at more risk. Early vaccination at the start of the flu season is always best. With that being said, I would still recommend today to go out and get the vaccine. But plan better next year."

If you've had the flu and are ready to roll up your sleeve for a shot, Ottley and Wright said that you likely can get it as soon as you're ready. Check with your doctor first.

"You don't have to be fully recovered to get that flu shot," Ottley said. "In most cases, we're vaccinating as soon as the person is willing."

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