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What are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant? What are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant?
What are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant?
Inactivated or recombinant influenza (flu) virus vaccines are types of vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of disease caused by influenza viruses. There are different inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines available under different brand names and each vaccine is approved for use in specific age groups.
Infection with the influenza virus can lead to different types of complications, including community-acquired pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia can be an opportunistic infection (OI) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people with HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems. To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet.
The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the use of inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines in people with HIV.
What should I tell my health care provider before receiving influenza virus vaccine, inactivated or recombinant? What should I tell my health care provider before receiving influenza virus vaccine, inactivated or recombinant?
What should I tell my health care provider before receiving influenza virus vaccine, inactivated or recombinant?
Before receiving an inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccine, tell your health care provider:
- If you or your child is allergic to eggs or egg products, any ingredients in the specific influenza vaccine you or your child will be receiving, or any other medicines. Tell your health care provider if you or your child has ever had any reactions to a previous dose of an influenza vaccine.
- About any medical conditions you or your child has or has had, including:
- Weakened immune system
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Seizures (in children)
- If you or your child takes medicines that might weaken the immune system.
- About any health conditions that might prevent you or your child from receiving medicine by injection.
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of receiving an inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccine during pregnancy.
- If you are breast/chestfeeding or plan to breast/chestfeed. For people with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. People with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk.
- About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you or your child are taking or plan to take. Inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines work. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines and the other medicines you or your child take.
Ask your health care provider about possible side effects from inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines. Your health care provider will tell you what to do if you have side effects.
How are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant given? How are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant given?
How are influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant given?
Inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines are given by a health care provider as an injection into the muscle.
Adults with HIV need one dose of an inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccine yearly.
Children with HIV who are 6 months of age and older need one dose of an inactivated influenza virus vaccine yearly. However, some children who are 6 months through 8 years of age may need two doses of an inactivated influenza virus vaccine, depending on their influenza vaccination history.
Where can I find more information about influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant? Where can I find more information about influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant?
Where can I find more information about influenza virus vaccines, inactivated or recombinant?
- Recommendations on the HIV-related uses of inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines, from the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV.
- This Patient Version drug summary is based on the FDA label(s) listed below. The Patient Counseling Information section of the label or the Patient Information Sheet includes information for people receiving an inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccine.
- Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for influenza vaccine, inactivated or recombinant available from MedlinePlus.
- Research studies related to inactivated or recombinant influenza virus vaccines, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests. To learn more about the ClinicalTrials.gov search features, please see How to Search.)
Last Reviewed: March 24, 2023