With flu season and the fall semester both in full swing, school districts and clinics around the country are offering free flu shots to schoolchildren and other local residents. If you can get your child (or yourself) immunized for free, should you take advantage of the opportunity? Or, is it safer to go to your primary care physician or pediatrician?
All Flu Vaccines Used in the United States are CDC-Recommended and FDA-Approved
First, with regard to the flu shot itself, there should not be any concerns. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend certain flu vaccines that are believed to be most likely to combat that year’s flu strains, and all vaccines used in the United States are subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So, if your school district or community clinic is offering free vaccines, it certainly does not hurt to ask, but the flu shot being offered should be the same one you would get if you paid to get immunized by your doctor.
Additionally, many school districts and clinics work in partnership with non-profit immunization organizations. For example, as reported by The Baltimore Sun, the Howard County School District is working with the non-profit Maryland Partnership for Prevention to offer free flu shots to the approximately 60,000 children in its schools. These organizations should be helping to ensure that the flu shots made available for free are those intended for use during the 2018-2019 flu season.
All Flu Shots Carry Risks for Certain Injuries and Illnesses
While you cannot get influenza from the flu shot, the flu shot carries risks for certain other types of vaccine injuries and illnesses. While certain of these injuries and illnesses result from negative reactions to flu shot ingredients (such as an allergic reaction to egg proteins), many are the result of errors during vaccine administration. In fact, shoulder injuries caused by vaccination mistakes have become so common that they have their own acronym, “SIRVA,” which stands for shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration.
Could the risk of vaccination mistakes be greater with a free flu shot? Possibly. However, there are established protocols for administering flu shots, and those administering free flu shots should be just as well-versed in these protocols as the doctors, nurses and pharmacists who provide flu shots for a fee. The truth is that all types of health care providers make mistakes; and, as a result, anyone who experiences pain after a flu shot (and particularly severe pain that onsets within 48 hours) should see their doctor right away.
Experienced Legal Representation for Flu Shot Injuries
If you, your child or your spouse has been diagnosed with SIRVA or any other vaccine-related injury or illness following a flu shot, we encourage you to contact us for more information. You may be entitled to financial compensation from the government, and we may be able to help you recover this compensation at little or no out-of-pocket cost to you. To speak with vaccine lawyer Leah V. Durant for free, please call (212) 800-1711 or request a confidential consultation online today.
Leah Durant Bio
Experienced litigation attorney Leah Durant focuses on representing clients in complex vaccine litigation matters. Leah Durant is the owner and principal attorney of the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC, a litigation firm based in Washington, DC. Leah Durant and her staff represent clients and their families who suffer from vaccine-related injuries, adverse vaccine reactions and vaccine-related deaths. The Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC is dedicated to assisting individuals in recovering the highest level of compensation as quickly and efficiently as possible. To learn more, contact vaccine attorney Leah Durant today.
Categories: Flu Vaccine
Leah Durant 
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