are these symptoms normal after your 1st flu vaccination?

[becs2013]

i am 13wks & 5days pregnant, had 1st flu jab last week at antenatal clinic. now i have sore throat, runny and blocked nose, watery eyes & sneezing fits. is this normal after flu jab?

if so is it a possibility it could be as contageous as cold & flu? or is it just something to do with the antibodies from the jab?

reason i ask, i work as a care assistant for the elderly and dont want to pose a threat on their health, also i have a new baby nephew who is almost a week old n i havent seen yet and want to know if its safe?

[immysarch]

I am not sure but i would advice to phone your midwife.or doctor and ask. I had my flu jab about 6 weeks ago and i was fine afterwards but i know.people.who have had the same symptoms.has you afterwards. But best bet is to contact midwife or doctor.

[Carren]

Some people do get flu-like symptoms after getting the jab, as their bodies react to the inactive viruses in the jab and produce antibodies. Since the viruses are inactive, you wouldn't be contagious in this case. However, at this time of year you could just as easily have coincidentally come down with a cold, which would be contagious. I should imagine you can visit your new nephew without sneezing all over him, and he'll be exposed to a lot of viruses over the coming years. However, your elderly patients might be a concern. To be on the safe side, I'd assume you have something contagious and follow whatever your workplace's guidelines are for that situation. If it does turn out to just be a reaction to the jab, you should recover much more quickly than you would from a full-blown illness, so the unnecessary disruption should be minimal.

[DrFluffy]

Sounds like you were unlucky and picked up a cold at the same time! The flu jab is 'just' proteins from the surface of the 5 most common flu stains circulating. You can feel achy and hot as you mount an immune response )and the oh so fun 'dead arm'!), but you won't get snotty nose, cough, sore throat.