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Usually the regular flu vaccine is given by IM administration which involves a 1 to 1 1/2 inch needle that is 25 gauge.

If you are afraid of injections and needles, there is a new type of flu vaccine that uses a tiny needle 90% smaller than the regular flu shot needles for intramuscular (IM) injections. The new flu vaccination goes between the layers of the skin instead of IM and is called intradermal (ID) with the brand name Fluzone. The related question below gives additional detail on the size of the new ID needles. There is also the intranasal mist that is available to some patients with healthy immune systems.

Here is information about the intradermal micro-injection system and more is in related questions below. ID flu vaccinations offer:

  • Improved acceptance by needle-averse individuals
  • Needle is not readily visible to the patient
  • Needle size 90% smaller than IM needles, 30 gauge vs 25 gauge for IM
  • Needle depth 1.5 mm vs 11/2 inch needle
  • Smaller amount of vaccine solution injected 0.1 mL
  • Less antigen per injection, 27 mcg compared to 45 mcg IM
  • Trials indicate less pain with injections
  • Can cause more local injection site symptoms of mild to moderate redness, swelling, and other site reactions than IM, for 3-7 days
  • Fewer systemic reactions (fever, headaches, muscle aches, etc.)
  • 75% of trial participants were very satisfied
  • 96% of clinicians giving the ID vaccines would recommend
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Q: What is the biggest flu shot needle in the US?
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Related questions

Should you get a Swine Flu vaccination if you got a seasonal flu shot?

Last flu season, 2009-2010, you needed two shots. But this year the seasonal flu shot also protects against swine flu, so, in the US, you only need one flu shot for the 2010-2011 flu season.


Has anyone who did not get the flu shot died from the flu?

Yes, each year in the US approximately 36,000 people die from the flu; most did not have a flu vaccination.


Do they drug test you when you get the flu shot?

Not in the US, unless you are in jail getting the shot. They will ask you questions, though.


Is it necessary to get the Swine Flu shot every year?

That will only be needed if a new mutation of the swine flu occurs that the current swine flu vaccine isn't able to prevent. In the 2009-2010 flu season in the US two shots were need, the regular seasonal flu shot and the H1N1/09 Swine flu shot. But in the current 2010-2011 flu season in the US, the seasonal flu vaccination contains the vaccine for swine flu in addition to the other varieties of flu that are expected to be circulating. So only one shot is needed this year for protection in the flu season.


What is it called to insert a needle to cure a disease?

An "hypodermic injection" or in the US a "shot".


Is 2012 flu shot protecting us from flu b?

Yes, every year in the US the annual flu vaccine is made with three types of flu viruses, two Type A flu viruses and one Type B. This is true with the 2012-2013 vaccines. See the related questions for more information.


Should you get the flu shot first or the Swine Flu shot?

In the US in the 2010-2011 flu season: The seasonal flu shot will include the vaccine for H1N1/09, so you won't need a separate shot for the swine flu this year, and you will get all the protection in one vaccination.In the 2009-2010 flu season:It doesn't matter which shot you get first, as far as being protected from both the seasonal flu and the swine flu is concerned, as long as you do get both types of vaccinations. The two vaccines can not be mixed in one shot. You can take both shots on the same day. As of the end of October, 2009 in the US, there is plenty of seasonal flu vaccine available, while the swine flu vaccine is still being reserved for those at highest risk until the production of the vaccine catches up with the demand. You should not wait to get the seasonal flu vaccine until the swine flu vaccine is available to your risk group in your location for best protection against the seasonal flu. Go ahead and get the seasonal flu shot as soon as you can, and then get the H1N1 (swine flu) shot as soon as it is available to you, too.The nasal mist vaccinations for the two types of flu can not be given at the same time. Live 2009 H1N1 vaccine (the type used in the nasal sprays) can be administered at the same visit as any other live or inactivated vaccine EXCEPT seasonal live attenuated influenza vaccine.


Where can you get a Swine Flu shot?

In the US in the 2012-2013 flu season, the H1N1/09 swine flu vaccine is included once again in the "regular" trivalent and quadravalent vaccines that have been prepared for the seasonal flu. No separate vaccination is needed.


Where can you get the Swine Flu shot in AZ?

In the 2011-2012 Flu Season in the US, the swine flu A-H1N1/09 pandemic swine flu vaccine is included as one of the three types of flu viruses in the seasonal flu shot. So you don't have to get a separate vaccination this year for the swine flu as was needed in the 2009-2010 flu season. Check your local pharmacies. Many national drug store chains, grocery stores with pharmacies, and local drug stores give them, such as Kroger, Walgreen's, CVS, Walmart, etc.


If you have the flu already will a flu shot work?

The flu shots are to prevent the flu, not to treat the flu. It will not be necessary to get a flu shot after you have had the flu, if you know what type of flu you had for sure (by lab testing). If you are not sure that it was the seasonal flu or another type of flu (like swine flu), then taking a vaccination will be a good idea to be sure you are protected for the other strains of flu. It will not hurt to take a flu shot for the same type of flu you had, and if the vaccine is for a different type, then you will have that added protection. You should usually wait until after the symptoms of active fever are gone before getting a flu shot, though. Flu shots work by exposing you to a small amount of weakened or dead viruses that cause a specific flu, or sometimes the vaccine will cover several (the seasonal flu vaccine usually contains three strains), so that your body can build immunity to them before being exposed to the full strength viruses in the environment. For the 2009 - 2010 flu season in the US, you are encouraged to get two vaccinations for the flu. One for the seasonal flu (it protects against three flu strains) and one for the A-H1N1/09 swine flu. If you have not had lab confirmation of the type of flu you already have had, then the CDC still recommends you get both vaccines.


Are Swine Flu shots really necessary?

The swine flu vaccine will be included in the seasonal flu shot in the US flu season of 2010-2011, so a separate shot won't be necessary this year. They are highly recommended by medical professionals. They are proven safe and effective over decades of use with very very low adverse incidents. Most RNs and doctors take them and get them for their families, too.


Can you get H1N1 shot and flu mist together?

You can take the H1N1/09 swine flu shot and a nasal mist for the seasonal flu at the same time.There would be no reason to take the swine flu shot at the same time as the swine flu nasal mist since both do the same thing, so that should not be done.You can take a swine flu nasal mist at the same time as a seasonal flu shot.You can NOT take a nasal flu mist for swine flu at the same time as you take a nasal flu mist for seasonal flu. They can render each other ineffective.You can take a nasal flu mist for swine flu with any other nasal flu mist vaccine EXCEPT the one for seasonal flu.The 2009 H1N1 flu shot (inactivated 2009 H1N1 vaccine) can be given at the same visit as any other vaccine, including pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.Update 2010: There is no reason to get the H1N1 vaccine or flu mist up your nose this year as there is no pandemic or outbreaks. The US govt has included the H1N1 in every flu shot on top of the regular vaccines for flu which is not necessary and could harm you health permanently with the addition of squalene. Pregnant mothers have lost their babies in thousands of miscarriages, and people have died after the flu shot was given last year. The flu mist will give you live viruses in your nose and when you go home you will be breathing out the viruses to spread to the rest of your family. Take vitamin C instead, and chicken soup -you will live longer.