Can you get the H1N1 vaccine if you are currently sick with the Swine Flu?

Answer 1

If you have proof from laboratory testing that you currently have the A-H1N1/09 "Swine Flu", then there would be no reason to get the vaccine because having the flu itself will provide the same or better immunity as the vaccine.

However, if you have not had the specific strain of flu proven by laboratory testing, you should go ahead and take the vaccination for A-H1N1/09 just to be certain that you are protected in case the symptoms you had were not from this specific strain of influenza. It will not hurt to have the vaccine after having had the same type of flu and it is a "better safe than sorry" scenario.

It is better to wait until after any signs of any type of infection (viral or bacterial) are gone before getting flu vaccines, especially if there is any fever.

Answer 2

You should not get the flu shot if you have any illness that is causing a fever at the time of the shot.

A fever indicates that your body is already working to get rid of some infectious-causing organism (or at least something that seems like one to your immune system). If your body is busy with that, then it will not be as good at making the proper immune response to the shot to create the protection from the swine flu. You may also be putting your body in more of a strain to provide the immunity than if you wait until the fever is over before getting the vaccination.

Since you don't know without lab testing if the symptoms you have are actually due to the flu, much less if it is the swine flu, you can't assume that you don't need the swine flu vaccine because you think you have swine flu. You should still plan to get the vaccination once you are fever-free to be sure you have full protection.

In the US, the seasonal flu shot for the 2011-2012 flu season contains the vaccine for the swine flu along with vaccines for two other types of influenza viruses, so you still will need the protection from the other forms of seasonal flu in the shot, even if you have already had the swine flu when you get the shot. It won't hurt to get the shot if you already had a type of flu that is in the vaccine and it is really the only way to fully protect yourself from the flu viruses that have been determined to be most likely circulating where you are without getting expensive lab studies.

Answer 3

Yes, minor symptoms of a cold would not preclude getting a vaccination for H1N1/09. Usually, unless you have a serious infection with high fever and active symptoms, you can go ahead and get the flu shot. But if you are sick, be careful while out in public to avoid giving your cold to others. Use the same hand washing prevention activities as for preventing the flu.