How Do You Feel About The Flu Shot?

I work in biopharma, and have worked on the H1 and H5 vaccines. I've never had a flu shot, and would never get one!!

The flu vaccine for 2011-2012 protects against the most likely strain of influenza A, influenza B, and H1N1 (swine flu). The flu vaccine offers absolutely no protection against what is commonly referred to as the "stomach flu" in which you suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. That is a completely different virus. Influenza is marked by 7 - 10 days of high fevers, severe body aches, malaise, headache, etc. A runny nose and a cough without a significant fever is likely the common cold, not influenza, and again, a completely different virus.
After you receive the flu vaccine, full immunity is not reached for two weeks. That's why you should get the vaccine early in the flu season. If you get sick within those two weeks, you probably contracted the flu from a coworker, at the grocery store, etc. before you achieved full immunity and not from the flu shot.
The most risky complication from influenza is not dehydration. (This is likely the case for the "stomach flu" however). Complications from influenza include pneumonia, multi-system organ failure, encephalopathy, etc. Generally much more serious than dehydration and much more difficult to treat. Those with the weakest immune systems (infants, elderly and other immunocompromised) are the most likely to suffer from fatal complications.
I am a physician assistant. While I strongly encourage vaccines for most of my patients, I certainly do not force them on anyone. There are valid reasons for not getting them. However, mercury poisoning, risk of autism, etc. are not valid reasons. No one should be forced to get a vaccine that they do not wish to get, but you do need to base your decision to decline one on ACCURATE information.
I get my flu shot every year, as does my daughter. After life-flighting infants with pneumonia to a larger hospital and hoping they make it through, I will never refuse one. However, like I said, it's a personal decision.

Please realize I am not insulting anyone. Before going to PA school, I had no idea what the "flu" really was and I made assumptions much like previous posts. I would just like everyone to make an INFORMED decision and in no way want to start a generalized "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate" debate.

I myself am highly upset that everyone here is being forced to take a flu shot regardless of whether you want it or not. It's either take it or lose your job- I have never taken one and I don't want one! What are your thoughts about the flu shot?

Tell them you are allergic to eggs, the flu shot is grown in egg white cultures so if you are allergic you cannot get it. I am actually allergic and have never been forced to get it, even when i was in the schoo, system who forced everyone else to.

The flu vaccine for 2011-2012 protects against the most likely strain of influenza A, influenza B, and H1N1 (swine flu). The flu vaccine offers absolutely no protection against what is commonly referred to as the "stomach flu" in which you suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. That is a completely different virus. Influenza is marked by 7 - 10 days of high fevers, severe body aches, malaise, headache, etc. A runny nose and a cough without a significant fever is likely the common cold, not influenza, and again, a completely different virus.
After you receive the flu vaccine, full immunity is not reached for two weeks. That's why you should get the vaccine early in the flu season. If you get sick within those two weeks, you probably contracted the flu from a coworker, at the grocery store, etc. before you achieved full immunity and not from the flu shot.
The most risky complication from influenza is not dehydration. (This is likely the case for the "stomach flu" however). Complications from influenza include pneumonia, multi-system organ failure, encephalopathy, etc. Generally much more serious than dehydration and much more difficult to treat. Those with the weakest immune systems (infants, elderly and other immunocompromised) are the most likely to suffer from fatal complications.
I am a physician assistant. While I strongly encourage vaccines for most of my patients, I certainly do not force them on anyone. There are valid reasons for not getting them. However, mercury poisoning, risk of autism, etc. are not valid reasons. No one should be forced to get a vaccine that they do not wish to get, but you do need to base your decision to decline one on ACCURATE information.
I get my flu shot every year, as does my daughter. After life-flighting infants with pneumonia to a larger hospital and hoping they make it through, I will never refuse one. However, like I said, it's a personal decision.

Please realize I am not insulting anyone. Before going to PA school, I had no idea what the "flu" really was and I made assumptions much like previous posts. I would just like everyone to make an INFORMED decision and in no way want to start a generalized "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate" debate.

^ This.

I don't like flu shots. I've never had one in my life. My kids don't get them. My husband doesn't get it. My family got the H1N1 last year, and we survived. We felt miserable for a little while, slept a lot, drank lots of water and vegged out together, took our fever meds, and got over it. We relied on our immune systems, and they worked just the way they were supposed to.

The flu shot isn't even guaranteed to work. It's a guess. Loaded with a mega dose of mercury. Mmmmm. Delightful. Don't you dare throw out one of those mercury light bulbs in the regular trash, but let's all be forced to get a shot full of mercury? Doesn't seem right to me...

Yup. This. Totally...

ALthough Ive never had H1N1 but I have had the flu.

I prefer my immune system to do its job and so far it hasn't let me down.

I didn't read everyone else's responses, but for my kids, it's always a must. Particularly for my son. His immune system isn't 100% plus he has asthma, and they're both in public school so I always get them shots.

For me, this was the first year I got it and never again will I get it.

I never get the flu and the only reason I got it this year was because my work was offering them to us for free so I went ahead.

I was out for two days after I got the shot because I was sick. I know a lot of people say you don't actually get the flu from the flu shot, but I sure as heck got something that had me down for two days so it will never happen again.

I work in biopharma, and have worked on the H1 and H5 vaccines. I've never had a flu shot, and would never get one!!

Like
if you dont get one, that says a lot!

I do not get flu shots, nor do I allow my son to get one even though every year they give them to all of the children at his school. The vaccine only protects you against one strain of the flu, and there are always several strains that are floating around. This year, the flu shots are the exact same as the shots they gave last year... so if you already got the shot last year, why would you need to get it again?

Not true, Flu vaccines are designed to protect against the three influenza viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming season. Each season, this includes an influenza B virus, an influenza A (H1N1) virus and an influenza A (H3N2) virus.
Yes, the viruses in this season’s vaccine are the same viruses that were selected for the 2010-2011 influenza but
your body’s level of immunity from a vaccine received last season is expected to have declined. You may not have enough immunity to be protected from getting sick this season. Revaccination raises your immune levels against the flu season again.

The flu vaccine for 2011-2012 protects against the most likely strain of influenza A, influenza B, and H1N1 (swine flu). The flu vaccine offers absolutely no protection against what is commonly referred to as the "stomach flu" in which you suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. That is a completely different virus. Influenza is marked by 7 - 10 days of high fevers, severe body aches, malaise, headache, etc. A runny nose and a cough without a significant fever is likely the common cold, not influenza, and again, a completely different virus.
After you receive the flu vaccine, full immunity is not reached for two weeks. That's why you should get the vaccine early in the flu season. If you get sick within those two weeks, you probably contracted the flu from a coworker, at the grocery store, etc. before you achieved full immunity and not from the flu shot.
The most risky complication from influenza is not dehydration. (This is likely the case for the "stomach flu" however). Complications from influenza include pneumonia, multi-system organ failure, encephalopathy, etc. Generally much more serious than dehydration and much more difficult to treat. Those with the weakest immune systems (infants, elderly and other immunocompromised) are the most likely to suffer from fatal complications.
I am a physician assistant. While I strongly encourage vaccines for most of my patients, I certainly do not force them on anyone. There are valid reasons for not getting them. However, mercury poisoning, risk of autism, etc. are not valid reasons. No one should be forced to get a vaccine that they do not wish to get, but you do need to base your decision to decline one on ACCURATE information.
I get my flu shot every year, as does my daughter. After life-flighting infants with pneumonia to a larger hospital and hoping they make it through, I will never refuse one. However, like I said, it's a personal decision.

Please realize I am not insulting anyone. Before going to PA school, I had no idea what the "flu" really was and I made assumptions much like previous posts. I would just like everyone to make an INFORMED decision and in no way want to start a generalized "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate" debate.

^ This.

And how would you feel if you didn't get the shot, got the flu and passed it onto someone immunocomprimised, elderly, or a child and they died?

It's like not wearing a seatbelt but buckling your kid in and you are thrown into them upon impact and kill them. I read that on my son's carseat years ago. It happens.

I've only gotten the flu shot once, last year because a close family member has a compromised immune system. Otherwise, I can't remember the last time I got the flu, so I don't see the point.

I used to never get one, till I got the flu one year that is. Now, I get it yearly It actually seems to boost my immune system through the colder months.

Never had the flu. Never had the flu shot. This past month has been a scary nightmare. Right after my dad had his shot he developed a virus that messed with his thyroid. He had multiple night sweats soaking through his pajamas for weeks and lost tons of weight. We were terrified he had cancer. The only thing we could point towards the cause was the shot.

Absolutely NOT. No flu shot for me, ever. Have you ever read the list of ingredients that they put in those things?! It is basically poison and a small dose of the flu, which is supposed to make your immune system work overtime. You should not be forced to take ANY form of medicine if you don't want to. There are groups like Michigan Opposing Mandatory Vaccines that educate government officials on why health care workers, and others, should not be forced to get flu shots.

To be honest, I am quite suprised at how many MFP's are in support of this vaccine. It can't possibly be healthy to poison your body in the off chance that you might catch a virus. Many of you won't eat certain foods because of the preservatives and addatives that are included. Think twice before you get the flu shot!

Some ingredients in the 2011 flu shot:

Preservatives:
Alcohols
Glycerine
Neomycin
2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE)
Streptomycin
Polymyxin B
Mercury
Formaldehyde
Stabiliser/solvent:
Tween 80
Triton X-100
Bovine
Human fetal cells
Gelatin
Methiolate
Monkey kidney cells
Msg
Phenol

One of my friends lost her 25 year old otherwise healthy son last year to the swine flu. They didn't believe in getting the shot either.

And how would you feel if you didn't get the shot, got the flu and passed it onto someone immunocomprimised, elderly, or a child and they died?

Are you serious? Then their flu shots didn't work, I guess, right? Why is that on my conscience? Every older person I know is basically bullied into getting a flu shot every year, as are the immunocompromised that I know. My daughter IS immunocompromised, but I let her own immune system do its work without kicking it into hyperdrive (through immunization-hello! Her immune system doesn't work efficiently, so let's pump her full of stuff that her immune system has to tinker with??? That's stupid!!!). She has only half usage of one of her lungs due to being born with several congenital heart defects.... however, if I had continued to give her the shots (prior to her diagnosis), it would have killed her. My mother's heart said to stop. I did. She was later diagnosed, and the doctors told me that because her body was busy making extra red blood (because her heart was all jacked up), that the immunizations would have killed her while her body stopped with the red blood to make the white blood and let her immune system go to town with the crap they'd put in her. I'll take her weak immune system any day. It's done just fine so far.