Fight the Flu

Q&A With West Matthews and Margie Rackley 

Catching the flu can be miserable — and it can be life threatening. Fortunately, you can reduce the discomfort that comes with the flu or prevent catching it in the first place. Enloe Health will join Butte County Public Health for a free flu vaccination clinic in October at the Chico Elks Lodge. Officials won’t set a date until the vaccine supply is in hand.

Attendees can walk into the building for their shots or opt for the drive-thru option. Margie Rackley, who helps coordinate the clinic on behalf of Enloe Health, said caregivers administered 859 vaccinations at the 2024 clinic. Stethoscope recently spoke to Rackley and Wes Matthews, Enloe Health’s Community Health Services Manager, to learn more about the shots.

Q: Is the flu shot good for everyone, and does it work?

Matthews: Medical experts say nearly everyone ages 6 months and older benefits from being vaccinated. However, it’s especially important for children, pregnant women and anyone over the age of 65 to get their flu shot. Those groups are more vulnerable to complications from illness. People with chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes or heart disease have a higher risk of complications and should seek medical advice regarding vaccination.

Q: Are there any side effects to the vaccine?

Rackley: Some minor side effects may occur, including mild soreness, redness, and/or swelling where the shot was given, a low-grade fever, or aches. If these problems do occur, they are usually mild and go away on their own within a few days. It’s very rare for someone to have a serious reaction to the flu vaccine such as an allergic reaction, and there are effective treatments if this does happen.

Q: Can the flu shot give you the flu?

Matthews: No. It’s impossible to get the flu from the vaccine we offer because it’s made with inactivated viruses. Hundreds of millions of people have safely received the vaccine for more than 50 years. Flu shots are made using killed flu viruses for inactivated vaccines or without the flu virus at all. The vaccine triggers your body’s immune response because your system recognizes it as an intruder and creates antibodies. Then, when your body does see the real flu, it responds and uses those antibodies to protect you. It takes about two weeks after getting your flu shot for these antibodies to fully develop. This is one reason we recommend getting the vaccine early in the season, so that your immune system is primed and ready to go before the flu starts circulating in our community.

Q: Since the flu can be hard on older adults, is there a special vaccine for them?

Matthews: Yes, there are vaccines that are preferentially recommended for those over 65.

Q: Will Enloe Health have that vaccine at the upcoming vaccination clinic?

Rackley: We should receive it, but if we don’t, older adults can also get those vaccines at their local pharmacy.

Q: What are symptoms of the flu?

Matthews: They can include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, chills, nausea, headache and fatigue. While many symptoms overlap with those of the common cold, the flu tends to cause more severe illness, including temperatures as high as 104 degrees.

Q: Where can folks learn more about the flu and see the finalized date of Enloe’s vaccination clinic?

Rackley: They can visit www.enloe.org/flu.