To Flu Shot Or Not ???

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To Flu Shot Or Not ???

I'm normally not one to get the annual flu shot. I don't remember that last time I had the flu?
I have had the shot a couple random times in recent years due to specific concerns (scares.) I did this not necessarily for myself but moreover as a concern for carrying a contagion to my grandchildren.

One of the FNC TV doctors over the weekend suggested the flu shot this year to avoid flu symptoms that might mimic ebola. What say INGOers on this mentality?

 

[rhino]

I always get a flu shot.

I got the flu a few times before I started and I was in very bad shape each time.

Since then, life has been good, flu-wise.

 

[smokingman]

Per the CDC website the flu vaccine is less than 60% effective in the general population,and less in than that in elderly people(cdc site does not give the % just this "Second, while the effectiveness of the flu vaccine can be lower among older people").
"
CDC typically presents vaccine effectiveness (VE) as a single point estimate. CDC vaccine effectiveness studies commonly measure laboratory confirmed flu illness that results in a doctor’s visit or urgent care visit as an outcome. For this outcome, a VE point estimate of 60% means that the flu vaccine reduces a person’s risk of developing flu illness that results in a visit to the doctor’s office or urgent care provider by 60%.
Vaccine Effectiveness - How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work? | Seasonal Influenza (Flu) | CDC

Then you have the side effects off the vaccine which include getting the flu among other things.The main reason I would not get a flu vaccine is of course thimerosal,which accoding to the CDC is used in preserving flu vaccine.
CDC - Thimerosal - Vaccine Safety

Add to this that many years the vaccine is no different than the previous years and the benefit seems minimal.

 

[snafu21]

I'm one of those people who will get sick if a neighbourhood kid sneezes a block away so I always get one. Since getting them regularly I've yet to get the flu which is why I'll continue to get them.

If you're a service connected VET, just go into the main entrance and just past the ATM on the left there is a little room, takes longer to find parking than to get the shot.

 

[docapos]

This year one reason to get it in my opinion would be to limit overall exposure to hospitals in the coming months, caveat is always the shot and never the flu mist mostly because I always get a crazy sinus infection with the (live) mist.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Not me. It's a guess.

 

[The Keymaster]

Who knows what they put in that vaccine. Call me paranoid, but here not putting that in my body.

 

[rhino]

Who knows what they put in that vaccine. Call me paranoid, but here not putting that in my body.

You could easily apply that same logic to every pharmaceutical produced, including over the counter. And most food products as well.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Who knows what they put in that vaccine. Call me paranoid, but here not putting that in my body.

I think they know exactly what they put in there, and you could find out if you wanted. I avoid them because they're just a crap shoot. As posted above, there's only a 60% chance they even get the most-likely strain right. The chance of me being exposed to the flu is low. The shot always makes me feel crappy for a few days, so it's just not worth it to me - even though it's free for me.

That said, I got real, full-blown influenza about ten years ago and it's horrible. The kids had it at the same time as me, and I was physically unable to go upstairs to help them because I couldn't make my body move. (Luckily the wife didn't have it and helped us all.) If I thought the chance of getting flu on a given year was high, I'd get the shot.

 

[Small's]

Not me. I will take my chances without it like always. Half the people I know that get it get sick anyway.

 

[eldirector]

I don't bother. Firstly, I'm not supposed to get live virus vaccines right now. Second, The only times I have gotten the flu are the years I have gotten the shot. Third, and final, its a best-guess as to which strains are even in the vaccine.

Just with proper precautions, not only do we avoid the flu, but pretty much any other communicable disease.

 

[Waveraider]

Not me. I will take my chances without it like always. Half the people I know that get it get sick anyway.

+1

My company offers free flu shots, and I never take them. Wive always gets them and she got it a few years ago.

 

[nra4ever]

No shot for me. I don't trust. I'll pass
4 years no flu shot and no flu for years before that.

30 years no visit to the dentist and in 30 years no cavities go figure.
The best thing is no dental records for me.

 

[Bennettjh]

I don't get them. I'll take my chances.

 

[LEaSH]

No shot for me. I don't trust. I'll pass
4 years no flu shot and no flu for years before that.

30 years no visit to the dentist and in 30 years no cavities go figure.
The best thing is no dental records for me.

I understand about not getting the flu shot, but what bothers you about someone having your dental records?

 

[wolfman]

Never had the shot ,, never will and I have never had the flu. My wife used to get the shot every year, was sick for about 6 weeks after every one of them, until she stopped 2 years ago, and hasn't been sick since.

 

[MCgrease08]

No shot for me. I don't trust. I'll pass
4 years no flu shot and no flu for years before that.

30 years no visit to the dentist and in 30 years no cavities go figure.
The best thing is no dental records for me.

I've got to ask, is there a specific concern with having dental records?

 

[terrehautian]

Never had the flu shot, got the flu bad last winter. Getting one this winter since my work slashed our sick days from 10 to 5.

 

[MCgrease08]

I generally don't get flu shots. I survived swine flu, I can handle the regular strain.

I did get one this year since I have a two year old and the wife is preggers. Of course I've had a cold for the past week since getting it.

 

[Snapdragon]

I had a serious case of the flu once, and I would not wish it on my worst enemy. I had fever, body aches, sore throat, and horrible fatigue for about 10 days. I barely got out of bed, and I was nearly hallucinating from the fever. Now I always get the shot. To me, it's worth whatever risk there is.