How Do You Feel About The Flu Shot?

rockerbabyy

How do you feel about TB vaccinations? Or Polio? Or Hepatitis, or whooping cough or smallpox?

my kids got all their regular vaccinations on an alternate schedule. i have no problem with those. i do have mixed feelings about the chicken pox vaccine. first daughter got the all the shots, second daughter got chicken pox before the last one.
we are a healthy family - if any of us had compromised immune systems, we would all get a flu shot. we shouldnt be forced into it.

hsnider29

Your family has got to be the most unlucky family on the planet, to catch influenza so frequently.

And as a side not, we do not vaccinate health care workers so that they don't catch influenza while at work. We vaccinate them so that they don't make their patients sick with the virus. The vaccine prevents you from being a carrier.

That was condescending. It is unlucky but my family certainly can't be the unluckiest on the planet. Vaccinate the patients because it should still be my choice.

fteale

It is the flu, people.

Seriously? Comparing it to Hepatitis and TB?
The flu has been contributing to death for a looooong time.
Only recently, with all the shots and vaccines, has it exploded into panic induced hysteria.
Think about it. Vaccines became more common, swine flu emerged.

Please tell me you are joking. Ever heard of Spanish Flu? Here you go.....

The 1918 flu pandemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu, was a category 5 influenza pandemic caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1.


The difference between the influenza mortality age-distributions of the 1918 epidemic and normal epidemics. Deaths per 100,000 persons in each age group, United States, for the interpandemic years 1911–1917 (dashed line) and the pandemic year 1918 (solid line).[29]
The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from 1918 to 1919, although Price-Smith's data suggest it may have begun in Austria in the Spring of 1917.[30] Older estimates say it killed 40–50 million people[31] while current estimates say 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed.[25] This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed as many people as the Black Death,[32] although the Black Death is estimated to have killed over a fifth of the world's population at the time,[33] a significantly higher proportion. This huge death toll was caused by an extremely high infection rate of up to 50% and the extreme severity of the symptoms, suspected to be caused by cytokine storms.[31] Indeed, symptoms in 1918 were so unusual that initially influenza was misdiagnosed as dengue, cholera, or typhoid. One observer wrote, "One of the most striking of the complications was hemorrhage from mucous membranes, especially from the nose, stomach, and intestine. Bleeding from the ears and petechial hemorrhages in the skin also occurred."[25] The majority of deaths were from bacterial pneumonia, a secondary infection caused by influenza, but the virus also killed people directly, causing massive hemorrhages and edema in the lung.[29]
The Spanish flu pandemic was truly global, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. The unusually severe disease killed between 2 and 20% of those infected, as opposed to the more usual flu epidemic mortality rate of 0.1%.[25][29] Another unusual feature of this pandemic was that it mostly killed young adults, with 99% of pandemic influenza deaths occurring in people under 65, and more than half in young adults 20 to 40 years old.[34] This is unusual since influenza is normally most deadly to the very young (under age 2) and the very old (over age 70). The total mortality of the 1918–1919 pandemic is not known, but it is estimated that up to 1% of the world's population was killed. As many as 25 million may have been killed in the first 25 weeks; in contrast, HIV/AIDS has killed 25 million in its first 25 years.[25]


Flu killed A LOT of people before there were vaccinations.

kirstyjosephine

I'm just going to link this article (written by a scientist for laypeople): http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/vaccination-myths-busted-by-science-cheat-sheet-on-immunisation/

Enjoy. :bigsmile:

staps065

My body responds poorly to flu shots-- it's worse than any flu I've ever had. I have a strong immune system, and I don't spend much time around children or the elderly, so I don't see the point of getting the shot and having to be home with flu-like symptoms for two weeks.

If that is true then you probably don't have a very strong immune system! Just saying! The vaccine is a dead virus and your body will build antibodies.. So if receiving the vaccine makes you very sick, then either your system was already weakened because you were exposed to something or you have a weak immune system and certainly need the vaccine ahead of the season. There are no guarantees but you will be better protected from the predicted strains if you are vaccinated EARLY!. The season is upon us and vaccinations should have been done in September, October at the latest. December - February are the worst months....

Of course, these are just my opinions..... I agree with the one poster: especially important to vaccinate the very young, very old, infirm and those with chronic respiratory illnesses. The Flu does kill and is much more than an inconvenience for thousands of people each year worldwide....

(Climbs off of my soapbox and goes on with my day! ) :bigsmile:

HealthyJess88

At my work we have a choice, and I chose to have mine. I'm not a fan of needles but I like the idea of preparing my body, so that if it has to fight it knows what it's up against. I saw a documentary about the possible effects of worldwide epidemics, and that made me want to be as prepared as possible!

Yakisoba

Never had the shot.

change_happens

I don't believe I need the flu shot. I have gone all of these years without ever having the flu. I did have to take the shot while working in the medical community some years back, but haven't had one since.

kirstyjosephine

Actually, some strains of flu cause more deaths in younger people (young adults) than in traditionally vulnerable populations (the elderly, the young etc). This is because it can cause a cytokine storm.

stephabef

If you're over 50, it's pretty crucial that you get it. Otherwise, unless your immune system has taken a hit that year, you'll be fine most of the time. I typically don't get it, but I support those that choose to!

SueGremlin

It is the flu, people.

Seriously? Comparing it to Hepatitis and TB?
The flu has been contributing to death for a looooong time.
Only recently, with all the shots and vaccines, has it exploded into panic induced hysteria.
Think about it. Vaccines became more common, swine flu emerged.

The flu kills tens of thousands of people a year. It's not a cold.

tmm01

here in the uk you only get it on the nhs if you have a chronic condition that could compromise your immune system. Then you're not forced to. I know nothing about the US system, so wouldn't want to make a blanket comment. However I have it every year, due to a chronic condition I have & suffer nothing more than an aching arm for a few hours. My opinion is is you need it get it, if not don't - up to the individual.

tmm01

here in the uk you only get it on the nhs if you have a chronic condition that could compromise your immune system. Then you're not forced to. I know nothing about the US system, so wouldn't want to make a blanket comment. However I have it every year, due to a chronic condition I have & suffer nothing more than an aching arm for a few hours. My opinion is is you need it get it, if not don't - up to the individual.

rosebarnalice

I work in a snot factory--namely, an institution of higher learning-- and so I get one every year. No ill reactions; no flu.

PixelTreason

Getting a flu shot is a responsible and considerate thing to do for yourself and society at large.

I get a flu shot every year - not for me but for:

My boyfriend who is allergic to eggs so can't get the shot himself.
My grandmother who is pretty frail and at risk for pneumonia / death if she gets the flu.
My niece who is still too young to get a flu shot who would also be more at risk of getting seriously ill because she's so little.
All the kids whose irresponsible parents won't let them get vaccines at all.


To all the people who think that your immune system is fine and so you don't need a shot - It's not about YOU. It's about herd immunity and making sure you are keeping the frail and immune compromised people safe!
Your selfishness is hurting or even KILLING others. Good job.


Edit: I can't read through this thread. Some of the willful ignorance makes me rage.

Futurefitnessinstructor

My friend was also "forced" to get the flu shot. But because we live in country where ALL vaccinations are recommended, not mandatory, it was more coercion. They were told that if they didn't get the shot and became sick with the flu, they would not be paid. All employees got the shot.

My family does not get the flu vaccine.

The shot only protects against some flu strains and the virus adapts and changes quickly, so you are only protected from certain, known and common strains. It does contain weakened flu virus. I went to a seminar recently on vaccination and even the public health nurse had some reservations.

dad106

To all the people who think that your immune system is fine and so you don't need a shot - It's not about YOU. It's about herd immunity and making sure you are keeping the frail and immune compromised people safe!
Your selfishness is hurting or even KILLING others. Good job.

Seriously.. Get off your damn soap box.

It is about the individual person and their rights.. and if they don't want one, then you need to respect that. End of story. Just like they are respecting your right to call them selfish and tell them they are killing people.

Yakisoba

Seriously.. Get off your damn soap box.

It is about the individual person and their rights.. and if they don't want one, then you need to respect that. End of story. Just like they are respecting your right to call them selfish and tell them they are killing people.

^^^^

TinaMLT

It is the flu, people.

Seriously? Comparing it to Hepatitis and TB?
The flu has been contributing to death for a looooong time.
Only recently, with all the shots and vaccines, has it exploded into panic induced hysteria.
Think about it. Vaccines became more common, swine flu emerged.

History Lesson:

The worst influenza outbreak in the last 150 years occured in 1918-1919. It was called the Spanish flu. It killed over 5 million people the world over. In some areas 50% of the people who caught it died. The scary thing about it wasn't the kill rate, it was the infection rate. Some places had a 40% infection rate. What this means is that if 40% of the population got it, half of them died. 20%. 1 in 5 people died. It was so virulent (makes you really sick) that if a person that died from it is unearthed today the entire site becomes a class 3 containment area (the same as for ebola and other hemorragic fevers). CDC and the WHO both watch influenza outbreaks afraid of the next highly contagious, highly virulent influenza virus. They have been watch and waiting for it since 1919. Go walk through your city's older cemetaries. Make a note of how many people died in 1918 or 1919. Whole families were wiped of the face of this earth. The vaccine for influenza was not commercially available until the late 1950s. It was created because of the fear of a repeat performance of 1918-1919.

H1N1 (swine flu) was very contagious that is true, but it was also not very virulent (didn't kill a lot). Many virologist postulate that this might be due to the fact that we are vaccinating so many people against the flu. That in vaccinating people against specific flu viruses, we may be inferring a degree of protection against other flu viruses. Not complete immunity but enough to change a lethal infection into something you can fight off.

bayles1

here in the uk you only get it on the nhs if you have a chronic condition that could compromise your immune system. Then you're not forced to. I know nothing about the US system, so wouldn't want to make a blanket comment. However I have it every year, due to a chronic condition I have & suffer nothing more than an aching arm for a few hours. My opinion is is you need it get it, if not don't - up to the individual.

Exactly.