But unlike COVID-19, there’s already a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccine for the influenza virus — and some experts believe it’s more important than ever for people with chronic conditions to get it. This is especially true for the 2.4 million people in the United States with hepatitis C, who are at risk for flu complications, such as a worsening of their underlying liver condition as well as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, and ear infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Since people with hepatitis C, especially those with cirrhosis, are at risk for severe COVID-19, getting a flu shot would lower their chance of getting a ‘second hit’ to their respiratory system, which could reduce hospital admissions and save lives,” says Alexander Kuo, MD, the medical director of liver transplantation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Here’s what to know about the flu if you have hepatitis C.
How the Flu Shot Protects People With Hepatitis C
Research shows that getting the flu vaccine can help ward off serious complications in people who have hepatitis C. Specifically, a research review published in September 2019 in the journal BMJ Open found that, for people with liver disease (including liver disease caused by hepatitis C), the flu vaccine cut the odds of being hospitalized by 27 percent. “The flu is not just a bad cold; it is a potentially serious illness,” says Lucinda K. Porter, RN, author of Hepatitis C Treatment One Step at a Time and Free From Hepatitis C. Porter was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1988 and gets her flu shot yearly. The flu vaccine is more important than ever in light of COVID-19, says Dawn Sears, MD, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Baylor Scott and White Health in Temple, Texas, and a clinical associate professor at Texas A&M University College of Medicine. “This year, the public, in general, is having much [more] respect for how damaging a small virus can be,” Dr. Sears says. “We are optimistic that increased awareness of hand hygiene, staying home when ill, wearing masks in public, and getting an annual flu shot will prevent us from seeing a pandemic within a pandemic.”
Why It’s Important to Overcome Your Fear of the Flu Shot
Despite the benefits of the vaccine, the CDC reports that only approximately 48 percent of U.S. adults were vaccinated during the 2019–2020 flu season. “Every year we see healthy and sick patients die from the flu,” says Ponni V. Perumalswami, MD, an associate professor of medicine in the division of liver diseases at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Perumalswami stresses how dangerous the influenza virus can be to people with hepatitis C, particularly those with underlying liver disease. “It is ultimately a patient’s choice,” she says, “but my recommendation is to get it.” When her patients balk at getting a flu shot, Sears reminds them that the shot is an inactive form of the virus and can’t cause the flu. To keep expectations realistic, she also tells them, “The flu shot does not stop 100 percent of the flu, but it does greatly reduce the symptoms, spread, and length of illness if you are unlucky enough to catch the flu anytime after you get the flu shot.” Although the flu shot cannot give you the flu, “Low-grade fever and soreness are common,” says Dr. Kuo. According to Sears, people shouldn’t rely on last year’s flu vaccine to protect them during the current flu season. “The protection from the vaccine only lasts for one flu season, so last year’s vaccine will not be working this year,” she explains. To protect yourself — and others — this year, find a flu clinic near you with the CDC’s Flu Vaccine Finder.
