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Flu shots? For them or against ?
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Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?2 -
I am for them!0
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Rosemary7391 wrote: »Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?
Just so you know. I not only suffer from asthma and another chronic disease; I'm also immunocompromised due to the medication I'm on. So,I have the jab. The problem is that,precisely because I'm immunocompromised , the jab is less effective. So I could still catch flu from another person. It would be great if healthy people would do all they can to avoid passing it on. The jab doesn't offer complete protection but it's a step in the right direction.
I don't see many people arguing against other vaccines such as mmr. Why is flu - which can kill - any different?6 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »Rosemary7391 wrote: »Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?
Just so you know. I not only suffer from asthma and another chronic disease; I'm also immunocompromised due to the medication I'm on. So,I have the jab. The problem is that,precisely because I'm immunocompromised , the jab is less effective. So I could still catch flu from another person. It would be great if healthy people would do all they can to avoid passing it on. The jab doesn't offer complete protection but it's a step in the right direction.
I don't see many people arguing against other vaccines such as mmr. Why is flu - which can kill - any different?
Well, why did I get offered MMR as a baby, but not flu shots then or since? It's obviously different from the perspective of the NHS! I've seriously never been offered one, no doctor has ever recommended I get one. I think one of my friends got offered it by his employer, but mine doesn't offer it and we don't have these yearly flu problems everyone is talking about. I really can't remember the last time someone I knew had flu. I think I live in quite a different situation to a lot of folks here who seem to get flu thrown at them from all directions. Sure if the doc recommended it, but until then I'll treat it like the yellow fever jab (which I've had!), rabies jab (which I've not), and so on - I won't bother until I get into a situation where it's recommended. Not against it vaccines as recommended by medical professionals, but it isn't recommended for me currently.2 -
@TeacupsAndToning what's your opinion on flu jabs?0
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Rosemary7391 wrote: »Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?
It depends on where you live. In the U.K./Europe it's generally only recommended for people with compromised immune systems and elderly people. In the US and Canada, it's generally recommended for everyone over the age of 6, mostly to help protect the more vulnerable population.1 -
Rosemary7391 wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »Rosemary7391 wrote: »Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?
Just so you know. I not only suffer from asthma and another chronic disease; I'm also immunocompromised due to the medication I'm on. So,I have the jab. The problem is that,precisely because I'm immunocompromised , the jab is less effective. So I could still catch flu from another person. It would be great if healthy people would do all they can to avoid passing it on. The jab doesn't offer complete protection but it's a step in the right direction.
I don't see many people arguing against other vaccines such as mmr. Why is flu - which can kill - any different?
Well, why did I get offered MMR as a baby, but not flu shots then or since? It's obviously different from the perspective of the NHS! I've seriously never been offered one, no doctor has ever recommended I get one. I think one of my friends got offered it by his employer, but mine doesn't offer it and we don't have these yearly flu problems everyone is talking about. I really can't remember the last time someone I knew had flu. I think I live in quite a different situation to a lot of folks here who seem to get flu thrown at them from all directions. Sure if the doc recommended it, but until then I'll treat it like the yellow fever jab (which I've had!), rabies jab (which I've not), and so on - I won't bother until I get into a situation where it's recommended. Not against it vaccines as recommended by medical professionals, but it isn't recommended for me currently.
Googling it, I found several articles - it seems Great Britain has the highest rate of flu deaths yearly in all of Europe. I'm thinking they should offer it.5 -
Rosemary7391 wrote: »Probably said this already somewhere in this thread. Flu shots are just not part of our everyday discussion where I live. To have or not to have, is not the question. The question just doesn't come up.
This. I'm reading this thread and wondering where on earth everyone lives to have the flu so often! Not only have I never had the flu, I can't remember anyone in my office having it either. I'm not in an at risk group, I don't work or live with anyone at risk. I've never been offered a flu jab and unsurprisingly have never gone looking for one. Why would I?
Interesting. Where I live (CA bay area) there's a HUGE push to get everyone vaccinated, starting in Sept. All the pharmacies have big signs offering the shot, a lot of the urgent care and regular medical groups offer free vaccine clinics, there's advertising on buses and bart and so on. We do have a vicious flu season each year so potentially that drives the campaign, and the push for immunity might not be so strong in an area that traditionally doesn't get hit so hard.1 -
Where I live, they offer flu shots all over the place. I am able to get mine earlier than everyone else (they give it to the at-risk and immunocompromised first) but it's offered for everyone a bit later. Most of the time, it is free.Rosemary7391 wrote: »Well, why did I get offered MMR as a baby, but not flu shots then or since? It's obviously different from the perspective of the NHS! I've seriously never been offered one, no doctor has ever recommended I get one. I think one of my friends got offered it by his employer, but mine doesn't offer it and we don't have these yearly flu problems everyone is talking about. I really can't remember the last time someone I knew had flu. I think I live in quite a different situation to a lot of folks here who seem to get flu thrown at them from all directions. Sure if the doc recommended it, but until then I'll treat it like the yellow fever jab (which I've had!), rabies jab (which I've not), and so on - I won't bother until I get into a situation where it's recommended. Not against it vaccines as recommended by medical professionals, but it isn't recommended for me currently.
The flu shot isn't something that can be given once, so giving it to you as a child doesn't mean you're done for life. Personally, I find it weird that flu shots aren't offered.
http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/influenza-flu - based on this at least some people are recommended the flu vaccine. It seems odd that they aren't relying on herd immunity, though.
Off-topic, but I have to wonder why I sometimes get the "Woo" button. It's not like I post pseudo-science or the like?1 -
Where I live, they offer flu shots all over the place. I am able to get mine earlier than everyone else (they give it to the at-risk and immunocompromised first) but it's offered for everyone a bit later. Most of the time, it is free.Rosemary7391 wrote: »Well, why did I get offered MMR as a baby, but not flu shots then or since? It's obviously different from the perspective of the NHS! I've seriously never been offered one, no doctor has ever recommended I get one. I think one of my friends got offered it by his employer, but mine doesn't offer it and we don't have these yearly flu problems everyone is talking about. I really can't remember the last time someone I knew had flu. I think I live in quite a different situation to a lot of folks here who seem to get flu thrown at them from all directions. Sure if the doc recommended it, but until then I'll treat it like the yellow fever jab (which I've had!), rabies jab (which I've not), and so on - I won't bother until I get into a situation where it's recommended. Not against it vaccines as recommended by medical professionals, but it isn't recommended for me currently.
The flu shot isn't something that can be given once, so giving it to you as a child doesn't mean you're done for life. Personally, I find it weird that flu shots aren't offered.
http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/influenza-flu - based on this at least some people are recommended the flu vaccine. It seems odd that they aren't relying on herd immunity, though.
Off-topic, but I have to wonder why I sometimes get the "Woo" button. It's not like I post pseudo-science or the like?
The stupid button means both "woohoo" (positive) and "this is nothing but woo" (negative). It makes no sense and I can't even on the logic of putting it in there.
eta for clarity5 -
TeacupsAndToning wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »@TeacupsAndToning what's your opinion on flu jabs?
Lol in short: absolutely get them if you can.
Short and sharp. Did we really need 26 *kitten* pages in this thread to get to this conclusion?
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Yeah, I have inexplicable woo reactions for posts like "I like diet coke because diet pepsi tastes nasty to me". Do people agree? Do people think I'm a shill for Big Coke? Is there some hidden cultural meaning to the statement that's going to get me a warning for insulting a segment of the population?5 -
I used to never get flu shots because I never got the flu (or other viruses). Then a few years ago I caught it and was ghastly sick for 3 weeks. I've read the flu can damage your heart. Now I get the shots. It's a small thing to do for extra protection.2
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Where I live, they offer flu shots all over the place. I am able to get mine earlier than everyone else (they give it to the at-risk and immunocompromised first) but it's offered for everyone a bit later. Most of the time, it is free.Rosemary7391 wrote: »Well, why did I get offered MMR as a baby, but not flu shots then or since? It's obviously different from the perspective of the NHS! I've seriously never been offered one, no doctor has ever recommended I get one. I think one of my friends got offered it by his employer, but mine doesn't offer it and we don't have these yearly flu problems everyone is talking about. I really can't remember the last time someone I knew had flu. I think I live in quite a different situation to a lot of folks here who seem to get flu thrown at them from all directions. Sure if the doc recommended it, but until then I'll treat it like the yellow fever jab (which I've had!), rabies jab (which I've not), and so on - I won't bother until I get into a situation where it's recommended. Not against it vaccines as recommended by medical professionals, but it isn't recommended for me currently.
The flu shot isn't something that can be given once, so giving it to you as a child doesn't mean you're done for life. Personally, I find it weird that flu shots aren't offered.
http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/influenza-flu - based on this at least some people are recommended the flu vaccine. It seems odd that they aren't relying on herd immunity, though.
Off-topic, but I have to wonder why I sometimes get the "Woo" button. It's not like I post pseudo-science or the like?
Yep, that link lists the folks I thought were recommended to have it. I know it needs doing every year but it isn't on the list of things that are recommended for everyone like MMR is, is what I meant there.
If people I knew were coming down with the flu then I might've gone looking for the vaccine, but I would have to look for it and I really mean it when I say it's not something I come across. I think one of my friends got swine flu about 6 or 7 years ago. I'm sure with that level of local prevalence you can understand why I'm a bit nonplussed at all the fuss? Seems like flu is a much bigger deal in other places than in my little world!1 -
Yeah, I have inexplicable woo reactions for posts like "I like diet coke because diet pepsi tastes nasty to me". Do people agree? Do people think I'm a shill for Big Coke? Is there some hidden cultural meaning to the statement that's going to get me a warning for insulting a segment of the population?
To the person who hit the woo button for this post - you have my heart
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No, your body is already set up to fight illness, disease etc. Just eat properly and wash your hands.16
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I get a flu shot every fall. Unless your doctor advises against it, you should too. It may save a life; yours, a loved one, a neighbor, or a co-worker.
The great flu epidemic of 1918.7 -
The deadly 1918 strain wasn't what killed 3% of healthy adults. It was the secondary bacterial pneumonia that did. The reason the elderly and children were hit less hard was because of previous exposure to similar strains that skipped a generation (the generation that was hit the hardest). The unsanitary conditions of most hospitals during that time period also contributed to the rapid decline of health in these individuals giving rise to secondary complications. Today we have life saving antibiotics.. something they were lacking then. The reason for vaccinations today is to try and introduce strains that we may have "missed" to avoid another deadly outbreak. They still haven't invented a vaccine to cover all potential strains but scientist are working on one. Another deadly outbreak could happen again but our gen already experienced the same strain that killed so many in the early 1918's. The H1N1 strain back in 2008. My kids both got it. My daughter was sick for two weeks while I battled 105 temps the entire time. My son had two days of "bad" illness then was over it. My daughters immune system was already weak from complications early in life.3
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