The Claim:
An online influencer thinks that the answer has to do with “poison.”
The Facts:
The article linked to the Tweet explains exactly why you feel sick after the flu and COVID vaccines, and the answer is not poison.
Why do you feel sick after the flu vaccine vaccines? The flu vaccine works because it stimulates your immune system by tricking it into thinking you’ve been exposed to the actual influenza virus. When that happens, your immune system reacts by creating inflammation, which can cause things like headaches, body aches, and fever. Some vaccines, like flu and COVID, are reactogenic and have a higher chance of causing this than others. Really, it’s just your immune system at work.
But what about the poison? The ingredients of the flu vaccines are often misunderstood, but they are not poisoning people. One ingredient that gets a lot of attention is thimerosal, which is still found in some flu vaccines. Often, people hear “mercury” and think of the kind of toxic mercury you are warned about when eating fish, methylmercury, but thimerosal is made from a completely different compound with different properties. This type of mercury is called ethylmercury, which breaks down relatively quickly and is excreted from the body.
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Glossary words on this page
- Immune system
- The complex system in the body responsible for fighting disease.
- Inflammation
- Redness, swelling, heat and pain in tissues (e.g., organs or muscles) resulting from injury or illness.
- Influenza
- Influenza (more commonly known as the flu) is a highly contagious viral illness that is spread person-to-person through sneezes and coughs.
- Thimerosal
- A once commonly used preservative in multi-dose vaccine vials, thimerosal breaks down into ethylmercury and is excreted from the body.
- Virus
- A tiny organism that multiplies within cells and causes diseases such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis.
Disclaimer
Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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