Question:

Hi, My son was diagnosed with HIV about 3 months ago and his t cell count has been above 350.

1) Should someone with HIV be concerned with taking a flu shot? Why or why not?

2) Should someone with HIV be concerned with taking the H1N1 flu shot? Why or why not?

Answer provided by:

Daniel Lee, M. D.
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine
UCSD Medical Center
Owen Clinic

In regards to your question regarding the flu shot and H1N1 flu shot for HIV-positive individuals, I've included a link from the Centers for Disease Control, which should help answer your questions: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/hiv_flu.htm

Briefly, people with HIV are not necessarily at greater risk for getting the flu, but those with lower CD4 cells may be at higher risk for complications if they do get the flu. According to guidelines, HIV patients ought to have their vaccinations up to date, which includes the flu shots. There are no concerns about having an HIV-infected person receiving either the flu shot or H1N1 flu shot as these are inactivated viruses. For more information, please check out the website above. Thanks for your question.

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