Agriflu

Generic name: Influenza Virus Vaccine
Drug class: Viral vaccines

Usage of Agriflu

Influenza virus 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.

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

The Agriflu injectable influenza virus vaccine (flu shot) is a "killed virus" vaccine. Influenza virus vaccine is also available in a nasal spray form, which is a "live virus" vaccine.

Agriflu works by exposing you to a small dose of the virus, which helps your body to develop immunity to the disease. Agriflu will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

Agriflu is for use in adults 18 years of age and older.

Becoming infected with influenza (commonly known as "the flu") is much more dangerous to your health than receiving the vaccine to protect against it. Influenza causes thousands of deaths each year, and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations. Like any medicine, this vaccine can cause side effects, but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

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

Agriflu side effects

Agriflu 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 after the first shot. Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving this vaccine. If you ever have to receive another influenza virus vaccine in the future, you will need to tell the doctor if the first shot caused any side effects. Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

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

high fever; or

unusual bleeding.

Less serious side effects may include:

low fever, chills;

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. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Agriflu

Do not receive Agriflu if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a flu vaccine, or if you have:

a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (especially if you had it within 6 weeks after having a flu vaccine); or

if you are allergic to chicken or egg products, kanamycin or neomycin, or any other constituent of the vaccine.

Before receiving influenza virus vaccine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

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);

an allergy to latex rubber;

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

if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).

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

Pregnancy Category B. Your doctor will decide whether you should receive Agriflu if you are pregnant, especially if you have a high risk of infection with influenza.

It is not known whether influenza virus vaccine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Relate drugs

How to use Agriflu

Usual Adult Dose for Influenza Prophylaxis:

0.5 mL once by intramuscular injection

What other drugs will affect Agriflu

Before receiving this vaccine, tell your doctor if you are using phenytoin (Dilantin), theophylline (Respbid, Slo-Bid, Theodur, Uniphyl), or a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin).

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), efalizumab (Raptiva), 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).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with this vaccine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you have received. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Popular FAQ

Egg-free vaccines include Flublok Quadrivalent, for people 18 years and older and Flucelvax Quadrivalent for people 6 months and older. The CDC now states that people with egg-allergy may receive any flu vaccine appropriate for their age and health status. Continue reading

The flu shot is usually given as an intramuscular (IM) needle injection into the upper, outer arm muscle called the deltoid muscle in people 3 years of age and older. The preferred injection site for infants and young children is the front, outer area of the thigh. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive a flu vaccine every year, typically in Sept. or Oct. Continue reading

Flu vaccination typically reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% during seasons when the flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. But if you are infected with the virus, the vaccine reduces your chances of getting the flu and passing it on to others and lessens the severity of symptoms, hospitalizations and death. Continue reading

Options that are available for a needle-free flu vaccine are the FluMist Quadrivalent nasal spray and the Afluria Quadrivalent vaccine given with the Stratis needle-free jet injector. Check with your healthcare provider to see if you are eligible. Continue reading

You can find the flu vaccine most quickly at your local pharmacy, where you can usually walk in without an appointment. To save time, you might prefer to make an appointment. Call your pharmacist to be sure they have the current year's vaccine in stock. Continue reading

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