1. WHAT IF THE VACCINE IS NOT A GOOD MATCH?
Vaccination is still recommended, particularly for people at high risk of influenza-related complications and hospitalization, since vaccinated individuals are still more likely to be protected compared to those who are unvaccinated.
Even when there is a less-than-ideal match vaccination should still be recommended, particularly for people at high risk of influenza-related complications and hospitalization, since vaccinated individuals are still more likely to be protected compared to those who are unvaccinated.

2. CONTRAINDICATIONS AND PRECAUTIONS TO VACCINE
Flu vaccine is NOT recommended for anyone who has experienced an anaphylactic reaction following a previous dose of vaccine or to any of the vaccine components (except eggs)
Anyone who has developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) within six weeks of influenza vaccination should seek medical advice
GBS has a notably higher association with influenza illness versus immunization
Benefits of influenza vaccination need to be considered
Egg allergic individuals without other contraindications can be administered with the full dose of the vaccine
Anyone experiencing a serious acute illness should postpone until symptoms resolve
Egg-allergic individuals may be vaccinated against influenza (any product) without prior influenza vaccine skin test and with the full dose, irrespective of a past severe reaction to egg (NACI Statement , section IV Additional Safety Considerations)
As with all vaccine administration, immunizers should have necessary equipment to be prepared to respond to a vaccine emergency
If significant nasal congestion is present, defer Flumist until illness resolved or give injection
This finding shows that both influenza vaccination and influenza illness are associated with small attributable risks of GBS, but the risk of GBS associated with influenza illness is notably higher than with influenza vaccination. The self-controlled study also found that the risk of GBS after vaccination was highest during weeks 2–4, whereas for influenza illness, the risk was greatest within the first week after a health care encounter and decreased thereafter, but remained significantly elevated for up to 4 weeks. The risk of GBS associated with influenza vaccination must be balanced against the risk of GBS associated with influenza infection itself and all the other benefits of influenza vaccination.

3. COMMON REACTIONS TO THE FLU SHOT
Common mild reactions in adults:
Soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site (usually lasts less than 2 days)
Low grade fever and aches (can last 1-2 days)
Serious side effects are very rare
The mild reactions people have to the flu shot are considerably less severe than actually having the flu
Adjuvanted TIV tends to produce more extensive injection site reactions than unadjuvanted – but still mild and resolve within a few days.
High-dose tends to induct higher rates of systemic reactions post injection compared with standard does TIV, but are short lived.
NACI Statement ; Section II:7

4. IF PEOPLE GET SICK AFTER HAVING THE FLU SHOT IT IS BECAUSE…
They have contracted a respiratory virus that causes similar symptoms
They were already exposed to the flu virus prior to vaccination
They were among the 40-50% of the population where the shot was not effective
They have contracted a different strain of flu that is circulating and not contained in the vaccine what is referred to as a ‘vaccine mismatch’
The symptoms of influenza are similar to many other respiratory infections
Takes 2 weeks for the vaccine to be effective so if a person has already been exposed to the virus prior to vaccination they could still get the illness.
The flu vaccine is not perfect - during seasons when circulating influenza viruses are similar to the viruses in the influenza vaccine, the vaccine can reduce the risk of illness caused by influenza virus infection by about 50-60% among the overall population. It is important to remember that even with low vaccine effectiveness, substantial numbers of influenza-related illnesses can still be prevented.
Vaccines against seasonal influenza must be frequently updated and the process for selecting the viruses and manufacturing the influenza vaccines starts several months before the influenza season begins. Detailed, timely data on viruses that are circulating and infecting humans globally are gathered, shared among countries and scientists, and are eventually used to formulate the upcoming seasonal influenza vaccines. Influenza viruses are constantly changing, including during the time between vaccine virus selection and the influenza season. If these changes lead to antigenic differences between the circulating seasonal influenza viruses and those viruses that are included in the seasonal influenza vaccine, then the vaccine and circulating viruses may not be closely related. The degree of similarity or difference between the circulating viruses and the viruses in the vaccines is often referred to as “vaccine match” or “vaccine mismatch”. WHO, Q&A, Feb 26,

5. SUMMARY ON INFLUENZA VACCINE
It is a safe and well-tolerated vaccine
It cannot cause influenza illness because:
the inactivated influenza vaccines do not contain live virus
the viruses in live attenuated influenza vaccines are weakened so that they cannot cause influenza
As a health care worker it is one of the ways you can protect those you care for

6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ontario Respiratory Virus Bulletin: io-Respiratory-Virus-Bulletin.aspx
Canadian Flu Watch: maladie/flu-grippe/surveillance/index-eng.php
National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI): immunization/canadian-immunization-guide-statement-seasonal-influenza-vaccine html
Just Clean Your Hands: nds/Pages/Just-Clean-Your-Hands.aspx
Video: The Flu – don’t pass it on!

7. THANK YOU