Should You Get a Flu Shot? | Benefits and Drawbacks

Every year, as the weather cools down and flu season approaches, the same question pops up for many people: should I get a flu shot? It’s an important one, too, because influenza – more commonly known as the flu – is a contagious respiratory illness that can impact people in many different ways. 

What is the Flu Shot?

The flu shot, an annual vaccine, was created to protect us against the most common strains of the virus that tend to circulate during flu season. It can be administered as an injection, which is the most common form, or a nasal spray:

• Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (IIV): This is the standard flu shot, made with a virus that has been killed or inactivated.

• Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV): This is a nasal spray vaccine made with a live, but weakened, version of the flu virus.

Both are supposed to prompt our immune systems to produce antibodies that can fight off the flu if we’re exposed to it later on in the season.