Like all vaccines, the flu vaccine only gives a temporary immunity to the virus strains or closely related virus strains contained in the vaccine. The only way to get natural and permanent immunity to a strain of flu is to recover naturally from the flu. Natural immunity to a particular strain of flu can be protective if that strain or closely related strains come around again in the future. However, because the vaccine only provides a 70 to 80 percent chance of temporary immunity to selected strains and those strains may or may not be prevalent each year, doctors say you have to get a flu shot every year. GBS is an immune mediated nerve disorder characterized by muscle weakness, unsteady gait, numbness, tingling, pain and sometimes paralysis of one or more limbs or the face.
Recovery lasts several months and can include residual disability.
Less than 5 percent of GBS cases end in death. The ACIP states that if used during pregnancy, administration of influenza virus vaccine after 14 weeks of gestation may be preferable to avoid coincidental association of the vaccine with early pregnancy loss. The flu vaccine has never been recommended for healthy children. However, in the past few years there have been indications that health officials are soon going to recommend flu vaccine for all children. A nasal flu vaccine is scheduled to be on the market in late 2000 and publicity promoting this vaccine has centered on its potential use in children.