Flu Shots? thoughts

I beleive that the flu shot is overused, much like antibiotics. Viruses are extremely adaptable and mutate and I think that the overuse of the vaccine is causing extremely virulent strains of the flu. Just like the superbugs we are seeing in relation to the overuse/misuse of antibiotics.

i think the flu shot should be used as it was in years past for those that would likely suffer the most damaging or life threatening complications from the flu. I work in healthcare and it is becoming mandatory in that setting to prevent possible transmission to immunocompromised patients.

Doesn't work like that with vaccines.

The response isn't the same but viruses will mutate in response to barriers to their transmission. They need a host to proliferate. I am not anti-vaccine at all. The flu vaccine has about a 60% success rate per the CDC and that is for the strains that are included in the vaccine. I don't think it is a bad idea but not extremely effective for the general population.

The way it works with vaccines is that the more people who get vaccinated, the better it works, for everyone. It's called "herd immunity." If the virus doesn't have enough sensitive targets to spread, then no one catches the virus.

I understand how vaccines work. However, the flu vaccine doesn't work like most other vaccines because of antigenic drift. It may provide some herd immunity but nothing in comparison to other vaccinations.

It's only really targeted at the elderly in the UK. I haven't had any vaccinations since I was 2 years old.

Just got my flu shot yesterday. My husband and all of our children get the flu shot every single year. It beats the alternative.

I do get them and my baby girl will get it this year as well. I work for a hospital that mandates the flu shot. Plus, I took my daughter to her 4 year old checkup the end of August and her doctor (which has NEVER recommended it for her) recommended it, she said that she had already diagnosed 3 cases of the flu for this year!

For those with egg allergies the studies are now showing that the regular shot doesn't cause a reaction due to the egg and there is also a vaccine that is not grown on egg at all.

:flowerforyou:

I love my flu shot. I love not getting sick. It's great.

I've gotten the flu shot ONCE. I also got the flu ONCE. Any guesses as to when each of those events occurred? You got it! The same year. Apparently, whatever strains were GUESSED to be the prevalent strains that year were NOT, because I was sick as a dog (as in "in bed with a fever, couldn't even get to the couch" sick for almost a week, and then on the couch for another week after that...all told, I was sick from Dec 20 to New Year's....missing Christmas is SO fun...but I lost about 15 pounds :ohwell: ).

That was about 10 years ago now. I haven't gotten the flu shot since, nor have I gotten the flu. In fact, I'm rarely sick at all....I can count on one hand the number of sick days I've taken in the past 12 years....outside of the "flu incident" (which thankfully, at least, happened during our "factory shutdown" from Christmas Eve through New Years Day, which was holiday time off, so I only had to use like 3 actual sick days).

Unless my sister has a baby or someone in my family becomes immune-compromised, I have no plans to get the flu shot again.

I am scheduled to get one tomorrow afternoon in the clinic at my work. You really ought to get one. The flu is some nasty business, it will flatten you out.

No, never had flu shots in my 38 years and neither have my children and we rarely get sick.

I think it is upto each and everyone to figure out for themselves.
Are you sensitive? Do you get often sick? etc.

I definitely get the shot.

Nope, I've never had one. It ain't broke so I don't try to fix it.

I worked in an Assisted Living facility for 2 1/2 years...every winter all the staff except me and one other gal got the flu shot (as well as the residents)....some staff always harped on us about not getting our shot, which I thought was rude, I never told anyone I didn't get the shot unless I was asked. Anyway, I was the one who did the majority of the cleaning, that means if someone did get sick, I cleaned it up, as well as cleaning all of the bathrooms and apartments.

I did not get the flu, nor did the the other gal who did not get the shot...the majority of the rest of the staff did, in fact one winter EVEYONE but us got the flu.

I beleive that the flu shot is overused, much like antibiotics. Viruses are extremely adaptable and mutate and I think that the overuse of the vaccine is causing extremely virulent strains of the flu. Just like the superbugs we are seeing in relation to the overuse/misuse of antibiotics.

i think the flu shot should be used as it was in years past for those that would likely suffer the most damaging or life threatening complications from the flu. I work in healthcare and it is becoming mandatory in that setting to prevent possible transmission to immunocompromised patients.

Doesn't work like that with vaccines.

The response isn't the same but viruses will mutate in response to barriers to their transmission. They need a host to proliferate. I am not anti-vaccine at all. The flu vaccine has about a 60% success rate per the CDC and that is for the strains that are included in the vaccine. I don't think it is a bad idea but not extremely effective for the general population.

The way it works with vaccines is that the more people who get vaccinated, the better it works, for everyone. It's called "herd immunity." If the virus doesn't have enough sensitive targets to spread, then no one catches the virus.

I understand how vaccines work. However, the flu vaccine doesn't work like most other vaccines because of antigenic drift. It may provide some herd immunity but nothing in comparison to other vaccinations.

The fact that the flu vaccine is made in advance, based on predictions of which flu strains will predominate, and that it doesn't provide as much protection to each individual as many other vaccines do, makes herd immunity more important, not less important.
A lot of people with some protection is better at preventing the spread of an epidemic than a few people with a lot of protection. Also, a little protection is better than none. That can mean that you get less sick, or that you only get sick, and don't end up dying from something silly like the flu.

Last year was the first time I have ever had a flu shot (my work required it). I've never had the flu before the shot and I didn't get it with the shot. I'm convinced it's a placebo. :laugh:

I get one every year, I work with kids (Home daycare for past 10 years) and to date I have been very fortunate and not gotten sick. My son has gotten one every year also.

I have never gotten one and don't plan to unless I get pregnant...even then, I'm going to make sure that it's 100% okay for the baby and myself and that I won't have a bad reaction to it. I'm not really educated on it. I am lucky to have good health and have never had the flu, and haven't ever had much more than a bad cold in terms of sickness. So I don't see the need to get it myself.