Mandatory Flu vaccine?

czewwhat

big difference between making sure someone's not doped up while driving the company's truck, and forcing someone to inject themselves with a vaccine they may or may not want-- please-- :noway:

What next? Your employer is going to mandate what you eat, too-- no sugar allowed on the job because it's not good for you? Only flax in your peanut butter?

Mandatory umbrellas on rainy days so you don't get the sniffles?

Madness-- I'd fight it.

Personally I agree with you and her. But my hubby having drug testing after being a professional for 31 years and never failing a test! waste of time on him. When people take care to be healthy, eat healthy and be sanitary, they are not the ones at risk. But there are alot of filthy people out there. I would hate for my grandson to get sick because his preschool teacher came to work with symptoms but could not afford to take the day off. Thus exposing an entire class of 4 year olds. It is a huge debate everywhere right now.

Sherry79

Although I am not "opposed" to the flu shot I would be extremely upset if my employer (or anyone for that matter!!) was forcing it on me. Maybe everyone will take it and get sick from the side effects and NO ONE will be able to work for a couple days!!!:laugh: :laugh: Okay just a little humor. . .but can you imagine the big wigs if no one showed up for work????? But seriously, it sounds like a legal issue to me if you wanted to fight it!

czewwhat

Like the flu that ravaged the world in 1918 (Spanish Influenza) nearly 30% died. in some places Perhaps this is the one that will thin out the herd and shake a few more of the weak from the planet! If we don't start taking care of the planet, it will take care of us!

Sorry for going off topic. Just thinking out loud.

mommared53

Genma, click on the My Home tab and under that tab click on Mail.

BrendaLee

Hmm...it doesn't sound legal to me by any means, though I do think it's for the greater good. I know I'm anxiously awaiting the flu vaccine this year, and my daughter who has never gotten it in the past will definitely be getting it this year.

__


Can I just say- I've gotten the flu shot for the past 3 or 4 years, and have not had a flu in that time. Not once. I think sometimes people mistake a cold for the flu, but the flu shot definitely does work (for me anyhow).

magichatter06

This might be helpful....


http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/31/flu.hm.flu.shot/

Phoenix_Rising

I dunno here.... I don't like the legal issue raised BUT it was mandatory for me to have a TB shot (among others) before entering college. There are mandatory booster shots for kids before entering school, although school is compulsory (although you can always homeschool and avoid the issue... like it's just that simple).

I dislike the mandate. I admire companies who offer and "highly encourage" their employees to take advantage, but "do it or lose your job" is seemingly wrong.

And I just can't help but think -- IT IS JUST THE FREAKIN' FLU!!! In a healthy individual, it is JUST THE FLU.

My daughter had strep a month ago. They refused to test her for the flu (and here in NC, they won't even test for the H1N1 strain anymore, unless you are hospitalized). My MIL kept her while she was out of school, and MIL ended up with strep and the flu too, and according to her the doctor told her that it was probably H1N1 (like he can just look and 'know' *rolls eyes*). So my 4 year old daughter and my 50+ year old MIL both survived what might have been *insert freaked out voice here* THE SWINE FLU!!! *sarcastic gasp*. H1N1 or not, it WAS the flu, and most people with healthy (or relatively "normal") immune systems recover adequately.

I also have sick and vacation days lumped into one big PTO pot, which means the employer doesn't feel any strain when I am out sick, other than the last minute nature of illness.

Again -- I just don't like the forced nature of it. BUT if you could lose your job, I'd run to the family doc and get an excusal note from the shot (if you don't want to have it administered). Not worth losing your job over, imo.

July24Lioness

I work in a hospital but have no direct patient contact, but i do walk thru areas that do. I get a shot every year with no obvious side effects. But the shot out now is not for H1N1, so i'm curious that your employer is pushing it. My hospital isn't even offering the reg flu shots yet and no talk about the H1N1. I will get a shot this year and the other if its offered. I would not want to bring a virus home to my family.

this is all the more reason for all of us to take care of ourselves, eat right and exercise!!

You can still bring the virus home to your family even if you get immunized against it. If you touch things, germs are there. Germs are airborne and get on your clothes, hair, skin, etc..............So, we are all transmitting germs to each other in many ways, even without having contact with one another.

I have noticed that since I have went to natural eating without processed foods and I stopped using all of the Anti-bacterial stuff (cleaners, dish soap, bath soap, etc) I rarely get sick.

One of the reasons so many people get sick is because so many people use all the anti-microbial and anti-bacterial stuff and it kills off all the germs, so people don't build up a defense to any of the stuff.

My rule of thumb has been just wash hands on a regular basis, sneeze or cough into my bended arm and try to eat right as much as possible and get adequate rest.

I have not been sick with cold or flu in over 3 years now and I have not been eating 100% all 3 of those years.

9726172000

This is not illegal. Think of it this way. If you are required to wear certain kind of clothing like (a nurses uniform, a suit & tie, ect..) for your job, then why not the flu shot. If you work or are around, children, the elderly, people that their immune system is down and they got the flu from you, then how would you feel. Also maybe your employer is just looking out for his/her employee's. If the employee get's sick with the flu or even the H1N1 flu and is out for atlest 1-2 weeks then the person who got the flu has put a burrdon on everyone else at their job. Just my own opion

I just found out today that my employer is mandating the flu vaccine for ALL employees, unless they have a medical reason to not get it. I personally do not get the vaccine, as I never get the flu. We risk losing our jobs if we don't get it. I'm pretty upset. They don't give an option of wearing masks, except to the ones who have a medical condition. I HAVE gotten it in the past, but personally don't like to get it. I guess I'm curious how many people out there think this is totally illegal and communistic....besides me.

:mad:

Nich0le

I'm a medical assistant in a clinic. But they are mandating it even for the IS people, and those who have no patient contact. I understand about the risks of getting the flu, but when the flu vaccine doesn't protect against the current year's flu, because that strain is unknown, you still run the risk of getting the flu. I have never taken a sick day in the last 5 years, with the exception of my first year that I DID get it, and was laid up for 2 days with flu-like symptoms.

I don't know how legal it is but it is HIGHLY recommended for ANYONE working in the medical, dental or who work with kids to get the vaccine. This is a preventative measure every year to keep those who treat the ill or who will be more likely to come in contact with an infectious person from getting and passing the disease along to others. Yes, the strain is unknown but there is some belief among "the medical community" that getting the regular flu vaccine may help decrease the possibility of contracting and spreading H1N1. The reason is that H1N1 is easily spread and contracted by people while they have the regular flu, making it even more difficult to detect and cure.

My kids are school age and I work at home for a dentist and even though I am only in the office once or twice a month I am getting everyone in my house a flu shot for the first time ever. Now, my employer is paying for all of the employees to get the vaccine and it is a small cost for my kids and husband. I would consider this to be just as preventative as the hepatitis shots we are required to get or the shots you need to get if you prick yourself with a HIV infected persons syringe. Yes, it's not very likely you will contract these diseases but why not protect yourself.

Personally, I think you are letting your pride get in the way of doing what is most likely the right thing to do, especially with the concern of H1N1. Really, it's only a shot and it is rare for you to contract the flu from the flu shot, the probability of you going through that again is little to none, and besides, you said you only had it for 2 days when normally contracted you would have been out for an average of 10 days.

mommared53

:mad: :explode: That's all! Just :mad: :explode:

czewwhat

I am older than a lot of you are and don't remember the fear of germs like I see on Television now. Bleach wipes for the kitchen counters! Bleach is poisinous, why put it on the counter? We are killing our own immune systems ability to recognize viruses by all the super sanitary kill the germs mentality. That being said H1N1 has been compared to the Spanish influenza of 1918. It is nearly identical according to what I have read. We need to be very cautious, wash hands and stop assuming we can take small children everywhere. Shopping carts are virul cess pools. The very young and the elderly are the weakest against this virus. Be responsible. I researched my family tree a few years back and during the Spanish influenza outbreak my g-g-grandmother lost 4 children and a brother and a sister. She was a stay at home wife and mother on a remote farm in Oklahoma, surrounded by massive fields. Most likely they got infected at Church. They grew their own food and only went to town for staples about once a month. This is an airborne virus, interacting with patients is not the only way you might get exposed. Altho the forced nature of it might be objectionable, your employer is trying to protect you and everyone else in his/her practice, count it as a blessing your boss cares.

Phoenix_Rising

Personally, I think you are letting your pride get in the way of doing what is most likely the right thing to do, especially with the concern of H1N1. Really, it's only a shot and it is rare for you to contract the flu from the flu shot, the probability of you going through that again is little to none, and besides, you said you only had it for 2 days when normally contracted you would have been out for an average of 10 days.

(I didn't see her pride as being an issue, and I don't see where there is a "right thing to do" in this scenario.)

It's not "just a shot". It's a company mandating she inject a dead virus into her body, one which may make her ill with the virus.

My MIL had the flu shot in the spring. She had an allergic reaction to it and then caught the flu (from my daughter) last month. The shot is not without risks.

Phoenix_Rising

I am older than a lot of you are and don't remember the fear of germs like I see on Television now. Bleach wipes for the kitchen counters! Bleach is poisinous, why put it on the counter? We are killing our own immune systems ability to recognize viruses by all the super sanitary kill the germs mentality. That being said H1N1 has been compared to the Spanish influenza of 1918. It is nearly identical according to what I have read. We need to be very cautious, wash hands and stop assuming we can take small children everywhere. Shopping carts are virul cess pools. The very young and the elderly are the weakest against this virus. Be responsible. I researched my family tree a few years back and during the Spanish influenza outbreak my g-g-grandmother lost 4 children and a brother and a sister. She was a stay at home wife and mother on a remote farm in Oklahoma, surrounded by massive fields. Most likely they got infected at Church. They grew their own food and only went to town for staples about once a month. This is an airborne virus, interacting with patients is not the only way you might get exposed. Altho the forced nature of it might be objectionable, your employer is trying to protect you and everyone else in his/her practice, count it as a blessing your boss cares.

My great grandmother died in the 1919 Spanish influezna outbreak too, after the birth of my grandmother. Most likely a complication / weaked immune system from childbirth. My grandmother survived, as did her 8 older siblings and father.

I

mommared53

Yeah, I think everyone should be forced to get the flu vacine for our own and everyone else's good. :explode: (I'm being very sarcastic here!)

Phoenix_Rising

Yeah, I think everyone should be forced to get the flu vacine for our own and everyone else's good. :explode: (I'm being very sarcastic here!)

I wish there was a mandatory 'stupidity' vaccine. I know some people in my life who could use it!! :laugh: I'd probably take a dose myself, in case stupidity is contaigious!!!

czewwhat

Yeah, I think everyone should be forced to get the flu vacine for our own and everyone else's good. :explode: (I'm being very sarcastic here!)

I wish there was a mandatory 'stupidity' vaccine. I know some people in my life who could use it!! :laugh: I'd probably take a dose myself, in case stupidity is contaigious!!!

I sincerely hope that this one is just a mild one and all are healthy. Golden rule again, he who has the gold makes the rules. I dont like having to pay car insurance, but I do even though I am a safe driver! My medical insurance is way to high, but I pay it! My electricity bill is unfair billing in ever higher tiers the more I use! I conserve a bunch but I still have to pay! On the current base line I can run my refrigerator and a alarm clock, nothing else! Having to put up with my neighbors cat crapping in my flower beds sucks, but they don't clean it up. Life is full of injustice. If you are that opposed to it, get another job!

GraceKelly

I just found out today that my employer is mandating the flu vaccine for ALL employees, unless they have a medical reason to not get it. I personally do not get the vaccine, as I never get the flu. We risk losing our jobs if we don't get it. I'm pretty upset. They don't give an option of wearing masks, except to the ones who have a medical condition. I HAVE gotten it in the past, but personally don't like to get it. I guess I'm curious how many people out there think this is totally illegal and communistic....besides me.

:mad:

You need to do what YOU feel right with. :flowerforyou:

Poison5119

Yeah, I think everyone should be forced to get the flu vacine for our own and everyone else's good. :explode: (I'm being very sarcastic here!)

I wish there was a mandatory 'stupidity' vaccine. I know some people in my life who could use it!! :laugh: I'd probably take a dose myself, in case stupidity is contaigious!!!

I sincerely hope that this one is just a mild one and all are healthy. Golden rule again, he who has the gold makes the rules. I dont like having to pay car insurance, but I do even though I am a safe driver! My medical insurance is way to high, but I pay it! My electricity bill is unfair billing in ever higher tiers the more I use! I conserve a bunch but I still have to pay! On the current base line I can run my refrigerator and a alarm clock, nothing else! Having to put up with my neighbors cat crapping in my flower beds sucks, but they don't clean it up. Life is full of injustice. If you are that opposed to it, get another job!

I feel your pain about the utilities being outrageous. I had a $9 natural gas bill last month but the dang delivery charge was $17!!!!!! :explode: How does that work??

I also had a vaccine 5 years ago and promptly came down with the flu. Science suggests that is because the virus was already incubating in me prior to the shot, and that has not happened since. I'm getting the vaccine this year like I did last year. If it's FREE (mine are), I'll take 3, thank you.

czewwhat

I personally have never had one, but I am a daycare provider and I know my parents who think a Walmart shopping cart is the cleanest place for their child won't pay me if I get sick. So I will get one this year, so when their child gets sick, they will not be able to blame me! You know those nasty daycare homes, kids never get sick from all the places you drag them, just daycare!:laugh: :laugh: