THE QUICK READ
• Approximately 300,000 Australians
contracted the flu in 2019, and
around 300 of them died
• The flu vaccine protects against
infection, but has a number of
potential side effects
• Researchers investigated the
effects of a single bout of
resistance training exercise on the
vaccine responses of older people
• Those who exercised prior to
vaccination exhibited fewer minor
side-effects than those who did
not exercise.
cattle class for the 9.5-hour flight to Honolulu
next to a lady who was coughing, spluttering
and complaining to her husband that she
needed an aspirin as she was feverish...
Now, this individual had no concern for
others and was coughing all over the cabin.
Fun fact: cough droplets can travel as far as
6 metres – unless they are prevented from
doing so by first hitting something much
closer. I was that lucky something. Needless
to say, after a couple of days in paradise I
was sick as a dog! Once recovered, I began
my commitment to getting an annual flu
vaccination.
In many countries people wear masks
if they have influenza when travelling
on public transport. This considerate
approach is not implemented by many on,
for example, Australian public transport – or
private transport, as evidenced by my flight
neighbour. Limiting the spread of diseases is
a multifaceted approach, and consideration
for others also extends to mechanical
reduction in exposure risks by, for example,
using masks to reduce the risks to others
when someone is infected.
The flu isn’t just unpleasant and
inconvenient: for some it is deadly. In 2019
alone, over 310,000 Australians contracted
the flu, with approximately 300 of these
cases resulting in death, the youngest
being of a 13-year-old girl. The World
Health Organisation reports that influenza
affects up to 5 million individuals worldwide
annually, resulting in up to 650,000 deaths.
Living in Southeast QLD, I am based in
a region of Australia that has one of the
biggest anti-immunisation contingents –
and that stance extends to the influenza
vaccine. For some, this is due to concerns
or a conscientious objection to it, whereas
others simply consider it a complete waste
of money. Regardless of your philosophy
about the flu vaccine, we believe it is quite
timely for this Research Review topic of
exercise and its effect on the flu vaccine, as
the 2020 flu season is coming.
Goldbaum (a doctoral candidate) and
her colleagues at The University of Sydney
reported there are a number of chronic
conditions which have been shown to have
an altered response to the flu vaccine.
For example, obese adults, those with
insomnia, smokers and those with low
fitness have been shown to demonstrate
Physical activity and higher levels of fitness
have been associated with a better antibody
response following the flu vaccine
22 | NETWORK AUTUMN 2020
reduced antibody responses to the flu
vaccine. In some, but not all, research study
participants, physical activity and higher
levels of fitness have been associated with
a better antibody response following the flu
vaccine – yet another potential benefit of
physical activity and exercise.
There are however, a number of potential
side effects to the flu vaccine. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
in the United States lists mild side-effects,
which include soreness at the injection site,
redness/swelling (I’ve experienced these
first two side-effects each time), and low-
grade fever and aches. The CDC reports
that only 1 to 2% of individuals who get the
flu shot will experience one of these minor
side effects.
There are also potentially rarer, but
more serious side effects reported, such
as allergic reactions, breathing difficulty,
swelling, racing heart, dizziness and high
fever. Statistical evidence may indicate
other issues that have the possibility of a
small increased risk that is associated with
influenza vaccines, such as Guillain-Barre
syndrome (GBS). This was particularly
evident with the 1976 swine-influenza
vaccine (an 8.8 times increase over
background rates) and is a rare disorder
in which a person’s own immune system
damages their nerve cells, with one or two
cases per 100,000 people per year. There
is a small increase in risk with vaccination
(e.g. 1 in a million), but the risk is, however,
much bigger if infected with influenza. Thus,
although there is a complex relationship of
GBS and its association with influenza and
influenza vaccines, it is generally considered
that there is less risk with vaccination than
with the infection itself.
This study, conducted by researchers in
Sydney, investigated the effects of a single
bout of resistance training exercise on the
vaccine responses of older male and female
adults. They recruited 47 healthy, older adults
(mean age 74 years) who were randomised
to either an exercise group or control group.
The exercise group completed a single
session of resistance training exercise which
consisted of five exercises at a moderate-
intensity (~60% 1RM) for eight reps and
then the flu vaccine was administered in the
shoulder of their non-dominant arm. The