Flu Shot

[LisaR]

Here's a very thought provoking article. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/reassessing-flu-shots-as-the-season-draws-near/

I don't get the shot and think the way the media and the CDC hype it is disingenuous at best.

Great article and very insightful. Thanks for posting.

While it is written by a blogger, it has direct quotes and research from Michael Osterholm "a prominent public health scientist and a nationally recognized biosecurity expert in the United States. Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, a professor in the School of Public Health, and an adjunct professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School." I looked up his bio.

My mom is almost 83. She has never had the flu shot in her life. I don't get it either, but I have tried to convince her to get it over the last few years given her age and declining health. After reading this article and seeing that it offers little protection for those over 62, I think I will stop arguing with her.

 

[alecshawn]

Bottom line....it's good common sense to get a vaccine against something that the shot could protect one against. The shot has been proven effective the world over. Folks are free to choose....well some are. I would get the shot no matter what...but I have to as condition of my profession. But frankly, I have no sympathy for those who choose not to and get sick....folks take vitamins...etc. all the time to try and stay healthy....yet some choose not to get a shot..that is proven to have a high success rate to stop or minimize the affects of the flu....and if you get it....the effect could be nasty. So just get the darn shot

 

[Interrobang]

I have an egg allergy and some other autoimmune issues and although I'm nervousness about getting the flu - there is no way I'm taking a chance (again) of developing complications with my immune system! And my immunologist agrees.
I know someone who developed GBS from the flue shot - and she's been thru hell and back and will never be the same.

Something like one in a million people get GBS from the flu shot. A much more common driver of GBS cases is the flu itself. You are more likely to get it as a complication of the flu than from the shot.

 

[Robbi]

Bottom line....it's good common sense to get a vaccine against something that the shot could protect one against. The shot has been proven effective the world over. Folks are free to choose....well some are. I would get the shot no matter what...but I have to as condition of my profession. But frankly, I have no sympathy for those who choose not to and get sick....folks take vitamins...etc. all the time to try and stay healthy....yet some choose not to get a shot..that is proven to have a high success rate to stop or minimize the affects of the flu....and if you get it....the effect could be nasty. So just get the darn shot

Bottom line, if you want to get the shot, get it. If you don't want the shot, don't get it.

 

[Bonniec]

But frankly, I have no sympathy for those who choose not to and get sick....folks take vitamins...etc. all the time to try and stay healthy....yet some choose not to get a shot..that is proven to have a high success rate to stop or minimize the affects of the flu....and if you get it....the effect could be nasty. So just get the darn shot

 

[nugov2]

Here's a very thought provoking article. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/reassessing-flu-shots-as-the-season-draws-near/

I don't get the shot and think the way the media and the CDC hype it is disingenuous at best.

Great article!

 

[Baliezer]

Bottom line, if you want to get the shot, get it. If you don't want the shot, don't get it.

 

[clarkshel]

Bottom line, if you want to get the shot, get it. If you don't want the shot, don't get it.

And help the flu spread easier. <rolleyes>

 

[Robbi]

And help the flu spread easier. <rolleyes>

Washing your hands will go a very long way towards preventing the flu. Unfortunately, people touch doors, shopping carts, etc. and then rub their eyes or their noses. This brings the virus to the mucous membranes and they can get the flu. Sorry but 59- 60% is not a sure enough bet for me to take the flu shot.
We still live in a country where we have the freedom to choose. I exercise my right not to get the shot while others choose the opposite.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

From the health Dept-
"Though this year’s flu vaccine has shown to be 62 percent effective, some people may still get the flu; however, their symptoms will be milder than if they had not received the vaccine."


I don't think 62 percent is a "great match" at all

I do understand your cynicism, I really do.

However you have to understand that you can get permanent organ damage from the flu, mainly your heart.

I have never got a flu shot either but I am going to go this week and get my first one.

My dh got his first one right before he left the hospital from his heart attack/triple bypass surgery on Dec. 27th.

My older dd has a repaired heart defect. She is going to need a valve job. She should always get the vaccine and has not yet. She already had Flu A 2 weeks ago.

Yes the odds are not great with flu protection percentages but knowing the damage the flu can do to you permanently is a motivator for me now.

 

[Mermaid02]

I had an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine in 2008 and have not had one since, per orders from my pcp. I work in a hospital so that makes me at high risk to be exposed to the flu, but there's nothing I can do about that. My Mother got her flu shot and had the flu this year despite it. She was VERY sick for about 2 weeks.

 

[clarkshel]

Washing your hands will go a very long way towards preventing the flu. Unfortunately, people touch doors, shopping carts, etc. and then rub their eyes or their noses. This brings the virus to the mucous membranes and they can get the flu. Sorry but 59- 60% is not a sure enough bet for me to take the flu shot.
We still live in a country where we have the freedom to choose. I exercise my right not to get the shot while others choose the opposite.

I do understand that everyone has the right to choose if they want the flu shot or not. And not getting the flu would work out great if the majority of people would wash their hands. I wash my hands frequently and teach my kids to do this. However I feel like we are in the minority with this. It is disgusting how some people don't wash their hands even after using the washroom. No wonder the flu spreads so quick.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I do understand that everyone has the right to choose if they want the flu shot or not. And not getting the flu would work out great if the majority of people would wash their hands. I wash my hands frequently and teach my kids to do this. However I feel like we are in the minority with this. It is disgusting how some people don't wash their hands even after using the washroom. No wonder the flu spreads so quick.

Everywhere seems to know how important handwashing is. Yet, I have been made to feel like a "freak" on many occasions for suggesting my kids or others wash their hands or washing my own. Some of my favorite examples:

When we go to WDW with the inlaws I get teased because we carry wipes and sanitizer and wash our hands a lot. Ummm, how could you not?

At a classroom party at the school when the kids went from playing games to decorating a cookie and having a snack, I suggested washing hands. The other moms stared blankly and then "oh, yeah....I guess...." I know one rolled her eyes as she turned around.
Of course, these are the same women who planned a party game that had the kids try to roll food from there forehead into there mouths (or something like that) resulting in everyones food landing on the floor and of course the "five second rule" kicked in! That's disgusting!!! There was only one child (besides my own) from a class of 24 that picked up the food and threw it away after one try. What does that tell you?

And I really love the eye rolls I get when grabbing a wipe or wiping my cart down with the wipes provided at the grocery store. Guess I'm slowing things up. I do try to move away from the cart area to wipe it down when possible.

Anyway, the point is, handwashing does go a long way and we could do a much better job in helping control the spread of things if everyone did it! In general, if everyone did what they could to prevent it, there would be less of it out there for anyone to catch!

 

[CentralFloridian99]

I got the shot back in October and haven't gotten the flu yet.

 

[IDoDis]

I have never had a flu shot and niether has anyone in my family. I have 3 kids in school, I work as a cashier and come into contact with lots of people and dirty money, my DH does food delivery and goes into schools, restaurants, retirement homes ect multiple times a day. No one in my family has even gotten a cold this year, very lucky. In fact we rarely get sick. I have found that over the last few years everyone at work will be sick and I never catch it. At most I might feel something coming on or get a slight cold for a day or two and then it goes away. It's been at least 10 years since I have even missed a day at work because of illness. KNOCKING ON WOOD

I am the same way. I never get sick. I am an elementary school teacher (20 years) and am exposed to all kinds of crud, but I don't catch it. Last year I did have one virus with a 103 temp and I missed one day of work, but even with that, was still up and about at home cleaning and doing laundry. That was the first time I had been sick in years. I have so much sick leave banked at work that I could miss six months of work should I ever need it (knock on wood).

I've had the real flu once which was the first year I was a teacher. I was in bed for 3 days and felt like I was hit by a Mac truck. Since then I must have built up some kind of super immune system because I get sneezed on, coughed on, and touch things that I know must be full of viruses. I do make a conscience effort not to touch my face and I wash m hands a few times a day.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

HAHA!
What date are you sailing?
Disney?

Have a great time and stay healthy!!!
Lori

Sailing out on 1/26 on the NCL Epic, though I will be swinging by WDW for a few days afterwards. Best wishes for good health to you too! Have fun!

 

[hellow]

But frankly, I have no sympathy for those who choose not to and get sick....folks take vitamins...etc. all the time to try and stay healthy....yet some choose not to get a shot..that is proven to have a high success rate to stop or minimize the affects of the flu....and if you get it....the effect could be nasty.

Sounds a little harsh to me. It is a personal choice, like many health care issues--best discussed between a patient and their doctor. Do you not have sympathy for people who die from breast cancer because they didn't get a mammogram every year, or not have sympathy for someone who contracts AIDS because they had unprotected sex? Many people do "what they should" and still get sick. There is no guarantee in any health issue.

The fact is, we as a society are bombarded with "the sky is falling" garbage from the media constantly. And the information changes so quickly it is hard to keep up with. We just have to go with what our trusted doctor and our gut tells us to do and hope for the best.

 

[scbelleatheart]

I got the flu shot two days ago and have been sick ever since. I know you can't get the flu from the shot, but the night I got the shot I developed a high fever. I looked it up on line and found that a fever can be a side effect. I'm still not feeling well. I've never had a reaction to the shot before. I haven't had it every year, but at least 5 times in my life.

I won't get one. I have had so many other vaccines like HEP A, B & C , malaria plus more and had no reaction. I got the measles vaccine because I never had the measles when I was TTC. I got the measles at Christmas 1 week after the vaccine.

 

[Pigeon]

Sounds a little harsh to me. It is a personal choice, like many health care issues--best discussed between a patient and their doctor. Do you not have sympathy for people who die from breast cancer because they didn't get a mammogram every year, or not have sympathy for someone who contracts AIDS because they had unprotected sex? Many people do "what they should" and still get sick. There is no guarantee in any health issue.

The fact is, we as a society are bombarded with "the sky is falling" garbage from the media constantly. And the information changes so quickly it is hard to keep up with. We just have to go with what our trusted doctor and our gut tells us to do and hope for the best.

Not to mention that the flu shot this year only has about a 62% effectiveness rate, so getting it is no guarantee of anything.

 

[SaraJayne]

I got the shot back in October and haven't gotten the flu yet.

I've never had a flu shot and never had the flu, even though both my children had the flu in the past.