Forced flu shot at work

mnlght535

I am not sure if this has been mentioned because there are far too many posts to read, sorry, but you cannot get the flu from an influenza vaccination as it is an inactivated vaccine (not live). That is a common misconception about influenza vaccines. You may have already had the flu and just not showing symptoms yet. I do agree that people shouldn't be forced to get a vaccine. However, if there is an influenza outbreak those who do not get vaccinated should have to stay home from work because they can spread the influenza to those who couldn't get the vaccine due to other health issues or allergies. Some would disagree because then an already short-staffed unit becomes even shorter-staffed. So, it's really hard to know where to draw the line. Great topic though.

sleepytexan

Thalidomide, DES, anyone? They always tell you it's safe until they can't anymore. The lemmings believe until they see with their own eyes. Then, they grieve.

And the lives of hundreds of millions of people saved is what? Just to sit there and be ignored?
Is it 100% safe? Good lord no. Nothing is. I even specifically stated it is not 100% safe. However the statistics and the children not dying by the thousands says enough.

If you want to put you or your child's life at risk, that is fine. Just keep them away from infants and pregnant women. You shouldn't force your ignorance to cost the life of someone else. In 2010, 10 infants needlessly died because of people like you not believing in vaccinations. They do work, and yes, in very small statistics, they are devastating. But to completely stop vaccinations would cause a helluva lot more deaths than vaccinations.

No, I vaccinated my child. (Reading comprehension). Then he experienced kidney failure from thimerosal.

Also I did not ever once suggest to stop vaccinations. It is always very sad when infants die, especially because of people like me--people who VACCINATED.

joesteele

I am not sure if this has been mentioned because there are far too many posts to read, sorry, but you cannot get the flu from an influenza vaccination as it is an inactivated vaccine (not live).

This is correct. Also of note, the influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more than 20 million people world wide. Influenza still ranks in the top 10 causes of death in the United States EVERY year. Get the vaccine.

mnlght535

There is a lot of bad science in this thread. Some of you should stop believing what you read on the internet and start reading peer-reviewed scientific studies. When you stop buying into conspiracies and start reading the science, you'll see the benefits of these vaccinations far outweigh the risks.

Agreed

betancourta229

Last year 3 of us in the building refused to get the shot and we had to wear masks everyday, all day for the flu season(about 5 months) it was ridiculous and annoying. I feel the same as many on here that if you are following the universal precautions you would not be spreading and putting yourself or patients at risk. We do not work with high risk patients. Myself and my family have no risk factors that put us at high risk and I do not belive in vaccinating against last years worse virus. It does not protect you from all strains of the flu.I believe that working around the sick can actually increase your immune system due to exposure.

I find the masks uncomfortable but it really became a matter of principle that they thought they could "force" us into getting a shot we choose not to get every year. Patients have the right to chose if they will get a shot why shouldnt we. They did give us the option to we're the mask but we would be sweating while running around rooming patients. I almost felt like I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion but I didn't want my shot and that is my choice!

Our patients were uncomfortable that we were all wearing masks and and were more afraid that we were sick and going to give them something then them give us something. Then we had to explain why we were wearing masks. It was frustrating to explain it to all of these people daily and we felt discrimated against that we should have to tell strangers that we made medical choices. (most patients agreed with our choices and very few felt that we should get them if we did not want them.) I would not walk down streets telling people that I decided to vaccinate or not. I would not announce patients decisions about their medical choices to vaccinate because HIPPA would not allow it. Why should my work require that I be singled out for my medical decisions. We had several doctors that all backed us on or decisions.

Now with all this said I believe that if you are at hight risk you should be evaluated and get a shot. I believe in getting immunizations for big killer diseases and If I ever was in a risk group for the flu I too would get a shot but until then I choose not to and will wear my mask to " protect myself and my patients"

joesteele

Now with all this said I believe that if you are at high risk you should be evaluated and get a shot. I believe in getting immunizations for big killer diseases and If I ever was in a risk group for the flu I too would get a shot but until then I choose not to and will wear my mask to " protect myself and my patients"

The flu is in the top ten causes of death in the US every year. It is a "big killer" disease. Though you are not in the risk group, many of your patients are...and some of them (infants) can't be immunized.

Tropical_Turtle

Because you work in a hospital, I get that.

Part of my condition of employment is to get a TB test, or I will lose my job. It goes along with where I work, so suck it up buttercup.

betancourta229

Now with all this said I believe that if you are at high risk you should be evaluated and get a shot. I believe in getting immunizations for big killer diseases and If I ever was in a risk group for the flu I too would get a shot but until then I choose not to and will wear my mask to " protect myself and my patients"

The flu is in the top ten causes of death in the US every year. It is a "big killer" disease. Though you are not in the risk group, many of your patients are...and some of them (infants) can't be immunized.

I do not work in a hospital but in an out patient facility and do not deal with infants, children or high risk patients. We do not work primary care and do not have patients who come in for treatment for the flu. Not only do we wear masks if we don't get.a flu shot but if patients exhibits symptoms of the flu ( the one or two that come in with it every year to our office) they are required to wear masks while in the facility. The flu is one of the big killers but it primarily kills those at high risk...rarely it kills healthy individuals who will then recover from the flu after 10- 14 days and then have natural acquired immunity.

MellowGa

Thalidomide, DES, anyone? They always tell you it's safe until they can't anymore. The lemmings believe until they see with their own eyes. Then, they grieve.

And the lives of hundreds of millions of people saved is what? Just to sit there and be ignored?
Is it 100% safe? Good lord no. Nothing is. I even specifically stated it is not 100% safe. However the statistics and the children not dying by the thousands says enough.

If you want to put you or your child's life at risk, that is fine. Just keep them away from infants and pregnant women. You shouldn't force your ignorance to cost the life of someone else. In 2010, 10 infants needlessly died because of people like you not believing in vaccinations. They do work, and yes, in very small statistics, they are devastating. But to completely stop vaccinations would cause a helluva lot more deaths than vaccinations.

No, I vaccinated my child. (Reading comprehension). Then he experienced kidney failure from thimerosal.

Sleepy I am sorry your child had issues, but I thought Children under a certain were NOT to get the vacination, if your Doctor had prescribed this, I would sue him for Malpractice.

sleepytexan

Thalidomide, DES, anyone? They always tell you it's safe until they can't anymore. The lemmings believe until they see with their own eyes. Then, they grieve.

And the lives of hundreds of millions of people saved is what? Just to sit there and be ignored?
Is it 100% safe? Good lord no. Nothing is. I even specifically stated it is not 100% safe. However the statistics and the children not dying by the thousands says enough.

If you want to put you or your child's life at risk, that is fine. Just keep them away from infants and pregnant women. You shouldn't force your ignorance to cost the life of someone else. In 2010, 10 infants needlessly died because of people like you not believing in vaccinations. They do work, and yes, in very small statistics, they are devastating. But to completely stop vaccinations would cause a helluva lot more deaths than vaccinations.

No, I vaccinated my child. (Reading comprehension). Then he experienced kidney failure from thimerosal.

Sleepy I am sorry your child had issues, but I thought Children under a certain were NOT to get the vacination, if your Doctor had prescribed this, I would sue him for Malpractice.

It wasn't a flu vaccine; it was childhood vaccines that contained thimerosal. My initial post said I would refuse a flu vaccine bc it contains thimerosal. My subsequent posts elaborated on my personal experience with thimerosal.

MellowGa

OK sorry I was going through all 14 pages, sorry that your child experienced this, it's just unfortunate.

I have a girl on my Soccer team that has type 1 Diabeties, and has a pump and we monitor her closely when we have games.

I understand your position and respect it.

unsuspectingfish

The first posted above is WRONG! The flu shot prevents you from getting that strain of the flu bug that the shot is aimed at. You can get other flu strains but the shot itself is the flu bug that the CDC predicts will be the "BIG" one for that year.

The shot actually prevents three different flu strains.

Wrong - it's four.

The way they decide what strains to use is that they look at what is prevalent in Asia in the early spring and then predict what three top strains will be the ones that will hit the U.S. Problem is, it's a virus. So it mutates. By the time it gets to the U.S., it may be three entirely different strains. They may predict strains A, B, and C, but then the U.S. will get hit with strains A, S, and T. (Making those up, by the way.) That means that the only one you are protected against would be strain A. Never have the pharmaceuticals gotten all three of the major strains that hit the U.S. correct. Only a handful of times did they get two of them right. The past couple of years, they missed on all three. On top of this, it is not an exact science. It is more like a pot-shot in the dark.

Oh, the fourth strain: All influenza vaccinations have H1N1. So there are now four strains covered in the vaccination.

That's one of the major reasons I don't get a flu shot. I don't see the point of putting myself at risk of an adverse reaction when there is a strong possibility it will do me little to no good, anyway.

More to the point, though, I still think it's ridiculous that any company would threaten to fire someone if they didn't get the flu shot, even a hospital. It's one thing to say they have to wear a mask or they have to stay home if they get the flu, but firing still seems way over the top to me, whether you're a fan of the flu shot or not.

Kelly50054

There is a lot of bad science in this thread. Some of you should stop believing what you read on the internet and start reading peer-reviewed scientific studies. When you stop buying into conspiracies and start reading the science, you'll see the benefits of these vaccinations far outweigh the risks.

And science is man made, as is all of the shots being talked about on this thread.

Kelly50054

Awesome material here for all interested in educating yourself on shots!

http://www.naturalnews.com/037139_The_Greater_Good_vaccine_movie.html

http://www.nvic.org/

unsuspectingfish

There is a lot of bad science in this thread. Some of you should stop believing what you read on the internet and start reading peer-reviewed scientific studies. When you stop buying into conspiracies and start reading the science, you'll see the benefits of these vaccinations far outweigh the risks.

And science is man made, as is all of the shots being talked about on this thread.

And a lot of the science surrounding medicine is done by the very people set to profit off the medicine. Yes, educate yourself, but don't forget to take your sources into account while doing so.

cat3nv

I think you should fight it. As a phlebotomist we are taught if a patient refuses adn we stick them anyway it is assault and we could be in serious trouble.

Every place I have ever worked has offered the flu shot and if we did not want it we signed a waiver stating if we got the flu we understood the consequences. The flu is a virus, and it is a different strain of flu every year. The flu shot is at best a guess as to which strain will be going around this year.

Good luck!

itgeekwoman

Get the shot unless there is a reason medically to not do it. I always get it and always feel great. I rarely get the flu and rarely even take a day off work sick.. don't remember the last sick day honestly!

Wellness includes prevention.

IronmanPanda

sgOkiozm

I've had the flu shot three times, and wouldn't you know... those were the only three times I've gotten sick, all within a week of getting the shot. Some people don't react and some don't.

The years I've skipped the shot, I never got sick. I have a lot of nurse friends who say it's the same thing for them. If the hospital's going to pay for me to be off work when I'm on my death-bed after getting the shot, then they can make it mandatory.

christimw

You would have to fire (and murder) me before injecting a dangerous cocktail of experimental chemicals in me or my children. My mother works in a hospital, and said that a majority of the doctors there opt out of the flu shot.

I believe vaccines (and other drugs) actually keep us sick. The sick care industry don't want us to be healthy, otherwise they wouldn't have any business.

My youngest child is 5 and has never had a vaccination, and has only had one illness that couldn't be treated at home. My oldest child was vaccinated until she was 5 because I didn't know better and would get really sick every year. After we stopped vaccinating, she maybe gets one or two mild head colds a year.

They both have have religious waivers for school, didn't have any problems getting them either. You children do NOT have to be vaccinated to go to school.

rml_16

I KNEW IT!!!!

jonski1968

Personally, i`d rather have a flu jab...Only ever had REAL Flu once in my life and it totally flattened me for 6 weeks...Took me over 10 weeks to get back to normal..

ATclassof2021

20 years in the Air Force, shot was mandatory every year. Now they give it to us for FREE in DOE and I am one of the first in line to get it. Better safe than sorry!!! Just my .02 :-)

Yanicka1

Take the damn shot

jaritos

Your kids have never been sick because you are relying on ALL the other children who DID get their MMRs and other vaccines not to infect them. As more people are taken in by fear mongering, anti-vaccine folderol, your children won't be protected by herd immunity - something they take advantage of, but contribute nothing to. And I say this as someone who *is* immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant and STILL gets their vaccines on schedule.

christimw

Your kids have never been sick because you are relying on ALL the other children who DID get their MMRs and other vaccines not to infect them. As more people are taken in by fear mongering, anti-vaccine folderol, your children won't be protected by herd immunity - something they take advantage of, but contribute nothing to. And I say this as someone who *is* immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant and STILL gets their vaccines on schedule.

No, I'm relying on building their immune systems and teaching the proper hygiene. Being vaccinated, YOU will be carrying that virus/disease and YOU can spread it to my child from simply having the vaccine. If vaccines are so wonderful then why do vaccinated children STILL get things they are vaccinated for? Sorry, until it's 100% proven that vaccines are 100% safe and 100% effective at eliminating illness, me and my children won't get them. I'm not into being a guinea pig for the government and sick care system. That's just me though.

Rhea30

Your kids have never been sick because you are relying on ALL the other children who DID get their MMRs and other vaccines not to infect them. As more people are taken in by fear mongering, anti-vaccine folderol, your children won't be protected by herd immunity - something they take advantage of, but contribute nothing to. And I say this as someone who *is* immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant and STILL gets their vaccines on schedule.

No, I'm relying on building their immune systems and teaching the proper hygiene. Being vaccinated, YOU will be carrying that virus/disease and YOU can spread it to my child from simply having the vaccine. If vaccines are so wonderful then why do vaccinated children STILL get things they are vaccinated for? Sorry, until it's 100% proven that vaccines are 100% safe and 100% effective at eliminating illness, me and my children won't get them. I'm not into being a guinea pig for the government and sick care system. That's just me though.

You really need to visit other countries where they do not have accessible immunization. Some of these diseases are very hard to treat, such as tetanus and there is a good chance your child will die if they get infected with a diseases like tetanus. I'm all for choices and taking a look at medications individually but thats just it, you have to look at it individually. Stating vaccines are bad is just being ignorant since you are lumping them all in a group without seeing what they are protecting you against. Its not just flus or diseases we are able to fight off if we are healthy, many of the immunizations are to protect your children from disease that are very hard to fight off and have a high mortality rate. Have you seen a child who has picked up tetanus? You would want your child to go through that or polio?

christimw

I did years of research on my own to come up with my conclusion. I looked at pros, cons, risks, and made my decision on what I felt was best for my family. I'm not telling anyone to or not to, that's their personal choice and what works best for them. I'm not going to sit here and justify my beliefs and actions just for the sake of arguing, because nothing is going to sway my stance. It's not worth the stress and hassle to me. lol

magj0y

I did years of research on my own to come up with my conclusion. I looked at pros, cons, risks, and made my decision on what I felt was best for my family. I'm not telling anyone to or not to, that's their personal choice and what works best for them. I'm not going to sit here and justify my beliefs and actions just for the sake of arguing, because nothing is going to sway my stance. It's not worth the stress and hassle to me. lol

Please keep your children away from infants, pregnant women and the elderly even if they appear to be healthy. While it is your choice whether or not to immunize your children, by not doing so, you're putting these people at risk.

Smiling_Sara

My hospital is demanding that everyone take the flu shot this year. You will be fired unless you have a Dr. Note or religous conviction. How would you feel about this at your work place?

I'd be upset. I"ve never had a flu shot and I"m 33. But if you work in a place where it is forced upon me, and I needed that job to survive, I"d of course get it.