Should I or should’nt I …hhmmm
there are only a few strains of the flu that the annual flu shot covers, but is it a good or not so good idea to have the shot. I know the very young and the elderly are asked to have there shot because of low immunity to viruses
There are people at work who have always signed up for the flu shot, but now they won’t have anything to do with it. Saying the have become very sick from previous immunizations… do we have to be worried about what is in the Flu shot ?? 
I’ve never had a flu shot in my life. And I’m fine.
A healthy immune system is capable of fighting off these things on it’s own. THat’s first and formost. So no, I’d not suggest getting one.
Secondly, I don’t trust the drug companies. They’re far too happy about prescribing anything and everything for something simple that we should be able to do ourselves. They’re in it for the money. $$$ that’s all that matters. Teen feeling a bit sad, oh, lets put them on some effexor. Child not paying attention and doing what ALL kids do, oh, shove some ritalin down their throat. lol Ritalin, a cocaine derivative. Or man made coke. Cmon people, cocaine is bad bad bad, but lets chuck our kids on the same type of stimulant because he’s hyper in class?
Yeah, don’t trust drugs, never have, never will. Who knows what’s actually IN the flu shot anyhow?
Here comes the flaming!!!
Using that logic you shouldn’t trust any business/company/corporation. They’re out for money? Businesses trying to make money…who would guess? You should pretty much stop eating food, wearing clothes, living in houses, anything that comes from a business.
Anyway…if you’re young, healthy, in good shape or whatever, you really don’t need to get a flu shot. It’s really up to you. Don’t start wearing a tinfoil hat like some other people, just because of some isolated incidents though.
I know there was a stat floating around the other day that said almost 45% of health care professionals never bother getting flu shots…
I’m concerned about the mad rush to get the H1N1 flu shot out and on the market. Efficacy and safety under these types of conditions is a little troublesome to say the least. That being said, I work in the kind of place where people come when they begin to get sick so there is a good chance of exposure yet over the past year, I’ve all of two colds and in the past ten years I’ve only had two very,very mild cases of flu and that’s with two kids going through elementary and high school years, when it seems like every second personthey go to school with is sick during the winter. So I think I have a pretty strong immune system and I’m really diligent about handwashing-I think I’d rather work wearing a mask (have been told it’s a possibility) and washing lots than getting the flu shot.
Bubba, there’s a difference between a flu shot and ritalin. Just because they’re both drugs is no reason to lump them together.
“Who knows what’s actually IN the flu shot anyhow?”
It’s a mix of vaccines for the flu strains most likely to be in Canada this season.
More than 50,000 North Americans die each year of influenza, by the way. Those who have a flu shot are less likely to be among the dead.
Ask your doctor if you should get a flu shot. You may think you have a strong immune system, but you’re not really understanding how your immune system works if you think that it will protect you from a virus it has never seen before. That’s where the flu shot comes in.
Can you point out where in my post I was flaming you?
I don’t think anyone (including me) has a problem with you not getting a flu shot for whatever reason.
Yes, because last year’s flu in Asia or other parts of the world will be this year’s flu in Canada. Guess which flu is considered “last year’s” flu?
Sometimes they get it wrong, but even then there’s a measurable positive effect on those who receive the flu shot versus those who don’t.
That’s how vaccines work. That’s how an immune system works, dontcha know. If your body doesn’t know something’s a threat, it won’t be able to fight it. Lots of examples of this – smallpox and First Nations, for example. It didn’t matter how healthy their immune systems were.
The virus is the same, yes. Yes, flu is the same twice. If one person gets a stuff runny nose and nothing else and someone else throws up from the same virus, it’s still the same virus. The same vaccine would have helped both people.
What?
What?
I didn’t bring up conspiracy theories or flame you here, Bubba.
Don’t care anymore. 
There are people who they recommend getting the flu shot, people with heart conditions and other serious illnesses, the elderly, young children, people who work in health care, around small children etc. It is entirely up to you if you get it or not.
Each year they put what strain they think might be around in the shot. It does not protect you from the flu even if you were vaccinated against the correct strain, it lessens the effects and shortens the time you could be sick from the flu. There are many strains of the flu and they can only guess which one. I believe they usually vaccinate against 2 or 3 strains per year.
You don’t get the flu from the flu shot, if you get the shot and the next day you’re sick it was because you were already exposed. The flu shot actually takes longer than 24 hours before it works, I am unsure of the time but I seem to recall maybe a couple of weeks.
It’s simple really – if you don’t want it don’t get it, if you work in a place where you have to get it and don’t, be prepared to be not allowed to work if there is an outbreak, at your expense of course.
The only people I have seen allowed to work during an outbreak without a flu shot are those who have been allergic to it. Your best defense is hand washing and using the alcohol hand sanitizer. If you get sick stay the hell home, we all don’t need your germs, no mask will prevent it from spreading. I did some training in Prince George on a preemie ward, I had a terrible cold and I wore a mask and I was only allowed to stay 10 minutes, that’s how long mosts masks are effective, unless it is a N95 mask and those you have to be specially fitted for.
Here’s an irony for you.
H1N1 is more likely to infect and cause seriously illness in healthy young adults. Why? Because even if you’ve been getting a flu shot all your life, you likely have never been given a strain of the swine flu. Your immune system has never seen anything even resembling it, so it isn’t prepared. No matter how strong your immune system is…
H1N1 doesn’t seem to be infecting and causing serious illness in older adults, though. Why? Because they’ve likely been infected by previous swine flu epidemics and pandemics (such as the one in 1976). Even if they weren’t infected, they likely had a flu shot that included the swine flu. And decades later their immune systems still recognize H1N1 and attack it.
I’ll be getting the shot again this year. I wash my hands and frequently use a container of hand sanitizer at work. Thankfully I avoided the flu last year.
I have gotten the flu shot for the past 7-8 years, I got it both times I was pregnant, and last year I had my son vaccinated,he was almost 2. It was advised because he was in daycare and I was expecting my second child during the end of flu season.
Ah tis true bubba, should you not want the shot, then don’t line up for it.
However, as what seems to be on the horizon may not be just the run of the mill annual cold and flu season, one would be best to gain as much information on the issue before saying nay to a shot.
The southern hemisphere has just gone through their flu season and there’s some good news I guess in that it’s apparently on the decline,
msnbc.msn.com/id/32618751/ns … swine_flu/
However, as the season tracks north, it may be a different story.
msnbc.msn.com/id/32618748/ns … swine_flu/
msnbc.msn.com/id/32597985/ns … swine_flu/
msnbc.msn.com/id/32618748/ns … swine_flu/
Of course there are those that suggest it’s all just a manufactured panic and how we should not be fooled.
prisonplanet.com/ron-paul-wa … nment.html
Me I’d rather take the word of the experts
msnbc.msn.com/id/32598219/ns … swine_flu/
msnbc.msn.com/id/32597716/ns … swine_flu/
Get a shot or not, the choice is yours, but get sick, please make sure you stay home you’ll have time at least to read up on it all
I’ve gotten the flu shot for the past 9 or 10 years and never had any thing more than a sore shoulder as a reaction…and I haven’t gotten the flu. My kids get it too…why suffer (or potentially die) for no reason. I have had the flu (real flu) once and i suffered for 2 weeks. It was horrible and I don’t want to go through that again and I don’t want my kids to suffer like that also.
I work in an industry where I’m constantly exposed to people who are sick, generally unhealthy, and just don’t take care of themselves. I never used to get the shot but I do now. What turned me around was a conversation with the health nurse. She reminded me that just because I don’t get sick, doesn’t mean I’m not a carrier. I could be bringing it home to my young child or spreading it to my aging parents.
After that I have been getting it every year.
I used to get sick about twice a year and be off work for 1 to 2 days each time. Since I’ve gotten the flu shot I never get that sick. Usually I just feel bad for a couple of days. I usually have to take sick days for other reasons, but not once do I chalk it up to a flu.
Some info for you Bubba:
theskepticsguide.org/sgublog/?p=300
theskepticsguide.org/sgublog/?p=516
I get all the shots and have had nothing more than a sore shoulder as a side-effect.
When I had some of the same concerns as Bubba, a guy gave me the following analogy. I can’t remember who it was, but I’m sure it was someone in Rupert. If it was you, I’m sure it sounds familiar:
The Flu Shot is exactly like a seatbelt.
It saves lives, but you can go your entire life without ever needing it. Just like the flu shot.
You can question the motives behind those who build seatbelts – Car manufacturers have done some very evil things in the past, they often put money before human lives (cf. Pinto Memo, Ford Explorer tires, etc). Just like the makers of the flu shot.
More than 50,000 North Americans are killed by Influenza each year. That number is similar to the number of deaths in auto accidents. Both the Flu shot and seatbelts have been shown to increase your chances.
Some people say they are healthy and have a healthy immune system and don’t need a flu shot. They’ve never had the flu.
That’s like saying you are an attentive and expert driver, and don’t need a seatbelt. You’ve never had an accident.
In the past, there were no seatbelts in cars in and people were just fine, and didn’t need them. Why do we need them now? Why do we need the government to tell us what to do?
The flu shot isn’t perfect (many doctors put it at about 75% effective). Neither is a seatbelt. People die even after getting a flu shot, just like people die even when they’re wearing a seatbelt.
And just like a flu shot, sometimes the only side effect of a seatbelt is a sore shoulder.
Now you may have a religious reason (or socio-political reason in your case, Bubba, please correct me if I’m wrong) not to have a flu shot. Just like you might have a religious reason not to wear a seatbelt (or motorcycle helmet).
That’s just fine. I’m sure some people will have an issue with you accessing publicly-funded health care if you do get the flu, just like some people have an issue with taxpayers paying for injuries for those who refuse to wear seatbelts. But that’s another issue.
I think that analogy works very well. Think of an argument for or against Flu shots, and substitute seatbelts instead.
Because of the anti-vaccs in the UK, more have refused their shots and now the death rates for flu have gone up. Less herd immunity.
It may be just a coincidence but every year I’ve gotten the flu shot I’ve been horribly sick…if I dont get the shot, I survive flu season unharmed. I’m still contemplating H1N1 vacc for my kids, but I will not take it myself
H1N1 is feared to be the PANDEMIC that we are overdue for. I for one will be getting this shot as will my whole family. If you get sick who will look after your kids is my fear plus I work in health care and I have looked at the risk and stats etc and I think that they favour getting a flu shot.
I feel the same way about the rainbows that weren’t there before.