What is more dangerous: influenza virus or vaccine adverse reactions? Viruses and pneumonias begin to fill hospitals sections

The flu vaccination for season 2025-2026 started on October 1, prescribing doctors being able to issue prescriptions for purchasing the vaccine. The passage through the disease, attract the attention of the specialists, can cost us much more than the potential side effects of the vaccine.

Respiratory Virose Season started photo: Pexels

Doctors started the reporting of cases of acute respiratory infections last week and pneumonia in the flu season 2025-2026, and the data show an important number of patients admitted. From October 1, doctors can also release the recipes for the flu vaccine that compensate 100% for certain categories of patients, public health specialists drawing attention that the flu vaccination, which is done annually, is the safest and efficient prophylaxis measure.

According to the data provided by the Olt Public Health Directorate, in this county, in the first week of reporting the respiratory disorders this cold season, 666 cases of acute respiratory infections were registered, 4% of patients requiring hospitalization. During the past week, 224 pneumonia cases were diagnosed in the medical offices in Olt, 42 of patients (almost 19%) requiring continuous hospitalization.

In the first week of reporting, no influenza has been diagnosed in Olt, but doctors point out that, to be effective, the flu vaccine should be administered at the beginning of the cold season, the body needing about two weeks to provide the expected response in front of the flu. It should be mentioned that the flu vaccine does not defend us from contracting the influenza virus, but if it happens we will make a form of disease easier.

The infectious doctor Daniel Anțoș, within the Caracal Municipal Hospital, said for “Adevărul” that the elderly with chronic diseases (diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases in particular) are the main category of patients admitted during this period as a result of acute respiratory infections. At the exit of the hospital, the doctor said, the patients receive, in addition to the prescribed drugs (if applicable) and the written recommendation to the family doctor to issue recipes for the influenza vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine, the two vaccines can be administered in the same vaccination session.

Since the change of the vaccine insurance procedure, which from the flu season 2023-2024 is carried out through pharmacies (the compensated vaccine was directly distributed to the family doctors, through the public health directions), the number of patients who are presented for vaccination has decreased, according to Dr. Anțoos.

In order to benefit from the compensated vaccine, the patient in one of the categories that may request the compensation is presented to the family doctor (or a doctor of another specialty who can prescribe the vaccine, in the contract with CAS) for the prescription, and with the prescription goes to the pharmacy to pick up the vaccine. He returns with the vaccine to the doctor's office (or in the cabinet of another vaccinator, or in a pharmacy where there is authorized personnel for vaccination) and the vaccine is administered. In practice it has been shown that since patients have to make more roads the number of those who were vaccinated year by year.

Pneumonia, myocarditis, pericarditis – just a few of the flu complications

Influenza is not a condition that is exactly easy to shower, although there are patients who develop not very serious forms of disease. According to the European Center for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (ECDC), it is estimated that up to 20% of the population is infected with seasonal flu every year.

The most common symptoms of flu are: fever, dry cough, headache, myalgia/arthralgia, fatigue and sore throat. Patients who face influenza may frequently suffer complications such as: pneumonia, ear and sinus disorders, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), pericarditis, aggravation of chronic diseases (eg congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes). The risk of complications is even higher in elderly patients. In their case, the flu may cause or aggravate cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, up to myocardial infarction and stroke.

In rare cases, septicemia, encephalopathy, guillain-barre syndrome and even death may occur.

“The estimated general rate of mortality associated with influenza is 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people each year”, It is mentioned on the ECDC website.

People who understand the importance of the vaccine but are afraid of adverse reactions after flu vaccination should know what these reactions are and evaluate the knowledge of the cause.

The most common adverse reactions after the flu vaccination, which means that they appear in less than 1/100 cases, are: pain, redness and/or swelling around the injection site; Short-term fever (1-2 days), which can be raised, especially in children; short-term fatigue (1-2 days); muscle pain (1-2 days).

Rare side effects – less than 1/1,000 – are: hives; febrile seizures in children.

Very rare side effects (less than 1/10,000 cases) are those of anaphylaxis and paresthesia. It is worth mentioning that the inoculation of the flu vaccine is not done before the vaccineer will determine whether the patient's health allows this.

Who benefits from compensation

A number of categories of patients benefit from 100% compensation for the price of the flu vaccine based on the prescription prescriber (who may be the family doctor, the pediatric doctor, the pneumologist, the infectious doctor, etc.). Here are these categories:

– children with age ≥ 6 months and

– pregnant women;

– people over 65 years old;

– medical-sanitary and auxiliary personnel;

– people with age ≥ 19 years and

Partial compensation (50%) benefits people between 45 and 65 years old, without chronic diseases.

The flu vaccine is administered annually, preferably starting in October, with the continuation of the administration throughout the influenza season, to ensure optimal protection during this period.

It is absolute contraindication to influenza vaccines Severe allergic reaction to a previously administered influenza vaccine or one of the components of vaccines.

Vaccination should also be postponed in patients with acute febrile disease, until fever remitted.