Can you be a swine flu carrier if you are being vaccinated?

Answer 1

It is possible to be a carrier of the disease if they recently received Swine Flu and they don't know about it yet. But otherwise the doctors are even trying to vaccinate pregnant women.

FURTHER QUESTION:
I was reading an article by Richard Ruhling, MD, MPH, Washington, DC on the internet and he stated:

"The flu shot helps spread the flu. The shot contains something called attenuated virus. Attenuated basically means half-killed. The shot has to evoke an immune response and therefore has to have some form of viral activity to it to stimulate that immune response. The theory is to give you a tiny dose of the flu so your body will build immunity to it. Anyone who thinks that they are not contagious after getting a flu shot is woefully mistaken. Most of the package inserts will even tell you that you may exhibit mild flu symptoms for a few days after getting a shot. There are also a percentage of people who receive the shot and get very sick." (From: Leading Cause of Death: Prescription Drugs, by Richard Ruhling, MD, MPH)

Yet there are many voices saying people, especially medical personnel should get the shots so they won't be carriers. Are there any major studies on this question?

Answer 2

If you are asking if the flu shot will give you the flu so you then can give it to others, then the answer is no. Flu shots are made from viruses that have been changed to be ineffective at causing flu infections, you will not get the flu from the flu shot.

If you are asking if you can be a carrier of the flu even though you have not had it and only came in contact with the virus by way of the flu shot, then that answer is also no, because of the same reason.

Flu shots in the US have proven to be very safe over decades of use with very few incidents of any untoward effects (including last year's swine flu shot). The risk of carrying the flu to others is greatly increased if you do not get the shot. Do yourself and those around you a big favor and get the flu shot now.

The 2010-2011 flu season has just begun in the US, so it is time right now to get that seasonal flu shot, which will also contain the vaccine for swine flu this year.

Answer 3

Almost never. This is because the vaccines are made with either totally inactive "dead" flu virus particles or they are made with severely weakened particles that are unable to make an otherwise healthy adult ill.

There has been some concern that patients with compromised immune systems can catch the flu if they come in close contact with a person who, immediately prior to the contact, received a flu vaccination made with the live attenuated form of the vaccine, such as the nasal spray. There will be some virus particles that could come in contact with the person with the immune suppression, but only for a limited time period. That means that you are not technically a "carrier" but only that you could have some virus particles on you that are still active enough to infect someone with lowered defenses until they are removed from your body or are made inactive by your immune system.

Answer 4

If you have been vaccinated against H1N1/09 Swine Flu, you can not pass the flu to someone else as long as you didn't have the flu when you got the vaccination or you don't get it in the interim before full immunization is achieved. If you already had the vaccination, you could pass along the virus anyway if you are exposed during the period your body is responding to create immunity. Usually in adults that takes 12 - 14 days after the administration of the vaccine for most flu vaccines, but it may be in only 8 - 10 days for swine flu. Children under 10 need a series of two vaccinations before they achieve immunity. The second vaccination is done a month after the first and then 2 - 3 weeks after that, full immunity should have been achieved.

See the related question below for more information about why, if you had the vaccination, you got the flu anyway.

Answer 5

No. With the flu there are three "states of infectivity". You either: 1. have the virus and can then spread it to others, or 2. you don't have the flu or the virus, or 3. you have recovered from one type of the flu and no longer get infected by it, which means you also can not infect others anymore with that same type of flu (once you go without a fever for 24 hours).

The only precautions for flu vaccinations are for those who have been given the intranasal spray vaccine. Since it is made with the live but weakened (attenuated) virus particles, it is best to avoid being in contact with anyone who is immune compromised immediately after the spray is given or to get the inactivated vaccine instead of the nasal sprays if you expect to be with someone with an immune deficiency. The other flu vaccines use inactive "dead" viruses, so they will not cause flu in you or in anyone you are around after the vaccination.

The manufacturer of the live attenuated nasal spray flu vaccine says that you should not get this type of vaccination if you will be in close contact with "a person with a severely weakened immune system (requiring care in a protected environment, such as a bone marrow transplant unit)." That is the closest situation that might be thought of as corresponding with being a "carrier" of swine flu (but it is not a "carrier" in the usual medical sense of the word).

Answer 6

No. The shot contains a killed version of the virus, and while the nasal spray does contain a live version of the virus, it has been modified to be too weak to be able to cause the flu.

Answer 7

Yes. A flu shot will not prevent colds at all, just the flu. See the related question below for reasons why you may get the flu despite having taken a flu vaccination.

Answer 8

Yes if u do not get checked before getting it.