Is one contagious during the flu vaccination?
Even with a live vaccine, flu vaccination is an attenuated form of the flu virus. They usually have the same form as the actual flu viruses, but are far less aggressive. Therefore, one does not carry the flu itself after the vaccination and can therefore not infect anyone with the disease.
Flu vaccination for children
There are also STIKO guidelines for the use of flu vaccination in children. It recommends these for seriously ill children from the age of 6 months. For children aged 6 to 36 months, however, only half the adult dose should be used.
From 36 months onwards, the full dose can be used. If the children are being vaccinated against flu for the first time, it is suggested that two vaccinations against flu be given at intervals of about 4 weeks. The STIKO recommends vaccination with a live flu vaccine for children aged 2-6 years if vaccination against influenza viruses is indicated and there is no contraindication against a live vaccine.
Flu vaccination during pregnancy
Pregnancy represents an increased risk for women who are infected with the flu virus to suffer a severe course of disease with pronounced symptoms. This increased risk is due to the fact that the body changes naturally during pregnancy, making the woman’s body more susceptible to infections with different pathogens. A flu vaccination is therefore especially recommended for pregnant women.
A positive benefit of the vaccination is not only the protection for the pregnant woman, but also the subsequent protection for the newborn baby. The antibodies formed by the mother’s body against the influenza virus can enter the child’s blood via the placenta and thus provide a kind of nest protection for the baby after birth. In contrast to the so-called live vaccines used in some other vaccinations, the vaccine used in influenza vaccination is a dead vaccine and can therefore generally be used throughout pregnancy. A vaccination can therefore be administered in principle at any time during pregnancy. The STIKO recommends a flu vaccination from the 2nd third of the pregnancy.
