Afluria

Generic name: influenza virus vaccine (injection) [ in-floo-ENZ-a-VYE-rus-VAK-seen ]
Brand names: Afluria, Afluria Quadrivalent
Drug class: Viral vaccines

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Aug 15, 2023.

What is Afluria ?

Afluria is a brand of influenza virus vaccine (injectable).

Afluria (influenza virus vaccine) is used to prevent infection caused by influenza virus. The vaccine is redeveloped each year to contain specific strains of inactivated (killed) flu virus that are recommended by public health officials for that year.

Influenza virus (commonly known as "the flu") is a serious disease caused by a virus. Influenza virus can spread from one person to another through small droplets of saliva that are expelled into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can also be passed through contact with objects the infected person has touched, such as a door handle or other surfaces.

Afluria vaccine (flu shot) is a "killed virus" vaccine. Afluria works by exposing you to a small dose of the virus, which helps your body to develop immunity to the disease. Afluria vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

Afluria is for use in adults and children who are at least 6 months old.

Becoming infected with influenza is much more dangerous to your health than receiving Afluria vaccine. Influenza causes thousands of deaths each year, and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations. However, like any medicine, Afluria can cause side effects but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

Like any vaccine, Afluria may not provide protection from disease in every person. Afluria will not prevent illness caused by avian flu ("bird flu").

Warnings

The injectable Afluria (flu shot) is a "killed virus" vaccine. Influenza virus vaccine is also available in a nasal spray form, which is a "live virus" vaccine. This medication guide addresses only the injectable form of this vaccine.

You can still receive a vaccine if you have a minor cold. In the case of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until you get better before receiving Afluria.

Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving Afluria. If you ever need to receive Afluria in the future, you will need to tell your doctor if the previous shot caused any side effects.

Like any vaccine, Afluria may not provide protection from disease in every person. Afluria will not prevent illness caused by avian flu ("bird flu").

Influenza virus injectable (killed virus) vaccine will not cause you to become ill with the flu virus that it contains. However, you may have flu-like symptoms at any time during flu season that may be caused by other strains of influenza virus.

Becoming infected with influenza is much more dangerous to your health than receiving Afluria. However, like any medicine, Afluria can cause side effects but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

Before receiving Afluria

You may not be able to receive Afluria if you are allergic to eggs, or if you have;

• a history of severe allergic reaction to a flu vaccine; or

• a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome (within 6 weeks after receiving a flu vaccine).

• if you are allergic to eggs.

To make sure you can safely receive Afluria, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder such as hemophilia or easy bruising;

• a neurologic disorder or disease affecting the brain (or if this was a reaction to a previous vaccine);

• a history of seizures;

• a weak immune system caused by disease, bone marrow transplant, or by using certain medicines or receiving cancer treatments; or

• if you are allergic to latex rubber.

You can still receive the Afluria vaccine if you have a minor cold. In the case of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until you get better before receiving Afluria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women get a flu shot during any trimester of pregnancy to protect themselves and their newborn babies from flu.

It is not known whether influenza virus vaccine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not receive Afluria without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Afluria should not be given to a child younger than 6 months old.

How is Afluria given?

Afluria is given as an injection (shot) into a muscle. You will receive this injection in a doctor's office or other clinic setting.

You should receive a flu vaccine every year. Your immunity will gradually decrease over the 12 months after you receive the Afluria . Children receiving Afluria may need a booster shot one month after receiving the first vaccine.

The Afluria is usually given in October or November. Some people may need to have their vaccines earlier or later. Follow your doctor's instructions.

Your doctor may recommend treating fever and pain with an aspirin-free pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, and others) when the shot is given and for the next 24 hours. Follow the label directions or your doctor's instructions about how much of this medicine to give your child.

It is especially important to prevent fever from occurring in a child who has a seizure disorder such as epilepsy.

Related/similar drugs

Tamiflu, oseltamivir, Fluzone, influenza virus vaccine, inactivated, Flucelvax, Flucelvax Quadrivalent

What happens if I miss a dose?

Since flu shots are usually given only one time per year, you will most likely not be on a dosing schedule. Call your doctor if you forget to receive your yearly flu shot in October or November.

If your child misses a booster dose of Afluria, call your doctor for instructions.

What happens if I overdose?

An overdose of Afluria is unlikely to occur.

What should I avoid?

Follow your doctor's instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity.

Afluria side effects

Afluria vaccine will not cause you to become ill with the flu virus that it contains. However, you may have flu-like symptoms at any time during flu season that may be caused by other strains of influenza virus.

You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic reaction to Afluria after the first shot. Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving Afluria. If you ever need to receive Afluria in the future, you will need to tell your doctor if the previous shot caused any side effects. Get emergency medical help if you have any signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

• a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;

• severe weakness or unusual feeling in your arms and legs (may occur 2 to 4 weeks after you receive the vaccine);

• high fever;

• seizure (convulsions); or

• unusual bleeding.

Less serious Afluria side effects may include:

• low fever, chills;

• mild fussiness or crying;

• redness, bruising, pain, swelling, or a lump where the vaccine was injected;

• headache, tired feeling; or

• joint or muscle pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report vaccine side effects to the US Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-822-7967.

What other drugs will affect Afluria?

Before receiving Afluria, tell your doctor if you are using:

• phenytoin;

• theophylline; or

• a blood thinner such as warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven.

Also tell the doctor if you have recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including:

• an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;

• medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), etanercept (Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or

• medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection, such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

If you are using any of these medications, you may not be able to receive the vaccine, or may need to wait until the other treatments are finished.

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with Afluria . Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Further information

• Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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