Flu Shot poll.

[Spazmogen]

Its that time of year again.


Are you planing on getting a flu shot this year?
I am. Nov 16th. The 1st day its available in my area.

Our police force has a plan in place incase we get a flu pandemic this year...

[dolphinius_rex]

Every year I get the flu shot I get really sick.... most years I don't get a flu shot I DON'T get sick.

Based on that, I try not to get the flu shot anymore.

[dodecahedron]

i guess you guys haven't hear the news.

a couple of weeks ago in Israel, 4 old people (70 and up or so) died shortly after receiveing the Flu shot. no apparent reason of death was discovered.
all vaccination in Israel was stopped while the matter was inverstigated. after a couple of days the Ministry of Health declared that no evidence was found that linked the mysterious deaths to the Flu shots.

the French company that makes the Flu shots (which are used the world over, most likely the same shots used in North America) dispatched a team of specialists to investigate. (yeah, they're terrified - if something is really wrong with the shots it's billions of $ for them!).

vaccination has resumed here but many are fearful now.
my wife won't let me take the shot.

(incidentally, i took the Flu shot every year for that last 10 years or so. except for last year, my wife was afraid i'd get the baby ill. in the end both the baby and her got the shot only i didn't there weren't enough shots because of the Chicken-Flu hysteria. all the numbskulls who never got the shot rused to get it, not that it would help against it at all).

[Jim]

The flu shot is safe unless you have an allergy to eggs. The complications from the flu are not. Anyone who wants to get the flu shot is eligible. It's recommended, even for pregnant women in all trimesters.

There's nothing living in the flu shot. You can't get the flu from the flu shot.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

People do die from the flu, especially the elderly. It's terrible watching someone die from the flu in the ICU. It would be even worse as a relative watching someone die from it. I encourage my own family to get vaccinated every year.

Jim, MD

[Morpheus]

I got the flu shot only once, a few years ago. My arm was sore for 3 days afterward. My not sure about getting one again.

[Spazmogen]

The stuff we're hearing is that the world is 10 years overdue for a pandemic.

All we need is a Spanish Flu to cause hysteria again. It killed even the young 20-30 year olds who were healthy back in 1918-1919.

It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster.

[Justin42]

I always try to get the flu shot. Started back in college when I was dating a girl halfway across the country, we didn't want to get sick during one of the longest times of the year we could spend together. It does seem to help me, even if I get the flu it's usually a lot lighter than the years I don't get one (like the last 2 years; couldn't get one 2 years ago due to the 'shortage' and last year they wouldn't give me one since I wasn't old enough... then of course come April they were BEGGING people to get them since they had too many shots left over!).

After you get a shot you have to take it a bit easy-- there's nothing living in the shot, but your immune system is going full bore to try to fight off what it perceives as a flu. If you don't sort of act like you are sick-- take it easy, get rest, etc, your immune system will wear down and you WILL get sick. Not from the shot, but because your immune system is overwhelmed fighting the flu shot and whatever you pick up. So if you do get a shot, be careful, do all the "nagging mom" things (wash your hands, get rest, etc)...

I got mine this year almost 2 week ago, so I'm glad that I was able to get it early...

[TheWizard]

*chants* O-VER-RAT-ED!

[stix]

My understanding of the flu shot is that it only protects against what MAY turn out to be the the most prevalent strain of flu for the season. So it's a crap shoot as to whether or not the shot protects you against the strain or strains that end up being the most predominant. I haven't had a flu shot for years, and I've been fine. If I were a teacher or a student, or a passenger on commercial aircraft and other forms of public transportation a lot, or in contact with loads of people all the time, I might re-think this line of reasoning, and get the shot to increase my odds of avoiding the flu.

[LoneWolf]

I work in a school district with tons of sneezing, coughing kids. The county health dept. often comes in and offers us discount flu shots. If they're made available at the schools, I always get one.

[Justin42]

My understanding of the flu shot is that it only protects against what MAY turn out to be the the most prevalent strain of flu for the season. So it's a crap shoot as to whether or not the shot protects you against the strain or strains that end up being the most predominant. I haven't had a flu shot for years, and I've been fine. If I were a teacher or a student, or a passenger on commercial aircraft and other forms of public transportation a lot, or in contact with loads of people all the time, I might re-think this line of reasoning, and get the shot to increase my odds of avoiding the flu.

That's absolutely correct, but when they do get it right (which is fairly often-- or get a close enough strain that your system at least has some idea of what to do) it does help.

Working at a university where the students and faculty seem to think the world would end if they missed a day or two due to being deathly ill with the flu, I can't imagine not at least trying to get it. (as if anyone learns anything when they, or the prof is near death with the flu! )

[dolphinius_rex]

Hrm, I heard that the last 2 years they completely missed the flu strain... I know last year was especially bad, since many people who got the flu shot I know also got the flu that year.

However, I did not get the flu (or the flushot)

[dodecahedron]

The flu shot is safe unless you have an allergy to eggs. The complications from the flu are not. Anyone who wants to get the flu shot is eligible. It's recommended, even for pregnant women in all trimesters.

There's nothing living in the flu shot. You can't get the flu from the flu shot.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

People do die from the flu, especially the elderly. It's terrible watching someone die from the flu in the ICU. It would be even worse as a relative watching someone die from it. I encourage my own family to get vaccinated every year.

Jim, MD

the only problem i have with this is that for every Doctor recommending the flu shot there's another who's against it.

no one has commented on my words about the incident in Israel. i'd like to point out that nothing is 100% error-free, no matter how many safeguards you have. including multi-million dollar medical industries that make the vaccines.

[Jim]

the only problem i have with this is that for every Doctor recommending the flu shot there's another who's against it.

no one has commented on my words about the incident in Israel. i'd like to point out that nothing is 100% error-free, no matter how many safeguards you have. including multi-million dollar medical industries that make the vaccines.

The last I read about what happened in Israel here in the US news is that the investigation concluded they all received the flu vaccine, but the investigation did not conclude that the vaccine caused any deaths. There was no link identified between the vaccine and the deaths.

The flu vaccine is made to protect against three flu viruses each year (two subtypes of influenza A and one subtype of influenza B). The CDC and other bodies look at the flu viruses circulating around the world each year and take an educated guess on the most likely three viruses that will hit in the fall/winter and produce the vaccine against them. Even if it isn't an exact match, it may still offer partial immunity.

I wasn't kidding about people dying from the flu. I've seen them die in the ICU and it wasn't an easy death.

Jim

[Ian]

I got a flu shot on Monday. I felt a little woozy after but was okay yesterday. Now today, I'm tired as hell and feel like I have a cold coming on.

[jase]

Consider the alternative. In the UK no-one gets a flu-jab, only a few pensioners who are considered high-risk, as it's "too expensive" for the NHS to handle (and Brits don't believe in paying for medical treatment, goes against the grain, let the government take care of things!).

Then everyone wonders why there's hardly anyone in work over the winter season.........

[dodecahedron]

I wasn't kidding about people dying from the flu. I've seen them die in the ICU and it wasn't an easy death.

you're absolutely right. too many people think of the flu as nothing more than a bad cold. that's seriously not the case!