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It’s flu season in much of the world and flu shots are the subject of my MS Wire column that was posted yesterday.
Do you get a flu shot each year? What’s your experience?
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I have received my flu shot invite but, as always over these last few years, I have declined…I just dont want my body to be pumped with goodness knows what…Besides I have looked it up as to whether we with MS should have it, and I have found conflicting advice…yes we should, no we shouldn’t…
Jackie..
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Jackie,
Where are you seeing “conflicting advice” about getting a flu shot? All of the advice I’ve seen from medical professionals, as opposed to some unsupported opinions on social media, is that flu shots are a good thing. That goes for people for MS as well.
I believe this statement from the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which I quoted in my column:
“The seasonal flu vaccine has been studied extensively in people with MS and is considered quite safe, regardless of the disease-modifying therapy they are taking. However, individuals being treated with Lemtrada® should be given the inactivated flu vaccine six weeks before receiving their Lemtrada infusion.”
If you haven’t read the column, which contains a lot of facts about the flu shot, there’s a link to it in my original forum post.
Ed
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People who are experiencing a serious relapse that affects their ability to carry out activities of daily living should defer vaccination until 4-6 weeks after the onset of the relapse.
FluMist® is a live-virus flu vaccine(sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine”) that is delivered via a nasal spray. This live-virus vaccine is not recommended for people with MS. Live, attenuated vaccines are those whose biological activity has been reduced so that their ability to cause disease has been weakened but not totally inactivated.
A high-dose flu vaccine is available for people over age 65. This high-dose vaccine has not been studied in people with MS of any age. At present, the Centers for Disease Control is not recommending the high-dose vaccine over the seasonal flu vaccine for the general population.
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You’re correct, Jackie.
As I reported in my column, the live vaccine, which is what the nasal spray is produced from, should not be used by someone with MS. Your info about the high-dose vaccine is also correct and was also reported in my column.
Thanks for your comment about delaying the vaccine until after an exacerbation. That’s something I didn’t know, though it seems to make sense. Can you cite a source for that information?
Ed
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When NOT to get the flu shot…
https://www.verywellhealth.com/should-i-get-the-flu-shot-if-i-have-ms-2440916
A few Caveats…
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ms-should-ms-patients-get-a-seasonal-flu-shot-101613#2
Is the flu jab safe and effective for people with MS….
https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/flu-jab
At the end of the day I believe it should be a personal choice as to what we allow being pumped into our body…Guess there are no right or wrongs…we each do what we believe to be our best for us…
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