It’s that time of the year again. Flu season. The flu vaccine is central to preventing infection and spread of the influenza virus.
Here are 5 reasons you should get your flu shot this year:
Science says so.
All competent well trained physicians will recommend an annual flu vaccine for their patients. Studies again and again demonstrate the effectiveness of the vaccine and the danger of the flu virus (more on that later). Per the CDC, the flu vaccine reduces risk of flu-related illness by 50-60% in the overall population. Unfortunately, the flu virus has many different strains, and the vaccine does not protect against every single strain. This makes it possible to catch the flu even after vaccination. However, researchers work to find the most dangerous and most common strains each year and create the vaccine to protect against those specific viruses. Basically, it is the best we have right now and it’s better than no vaccine at all.
The flu is dangerous.
Most people tell me their initial flu symptoms feel something like being hit by a truck. You feel pretty miserable pretty quickly. And you feel this way for sometimes up to 7-10 days. Although most people recover without medical intervention, the flu can be scary and even deadly in certain cases. This story from January 2015 highlights just how dangerous the flu can be, and it’s even more so in the elderly and in those with suppressed immune systems. Over 200,000 people are hospitalized each year with the flu and more than 35,000 people die annually with the infection. Complications include pneumonia, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart failure.
The vaccine will not give you the flu.
I’ll say it again. You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. It is a DEAD vaccine. It takes your body about 2 weeks after vaccination to be fully protected from the virus. If you happen to get sick in this timeframe, you were probably infected at the time of the vaccine and that’s just bad luck. Upon vaccination, your body does mount an immune response and some people report symptoms of aches and chills. This usually resolve within 24 hours.
Help protect babies.
Babies under 6 months old cannot get the flu vaccine. If you aren’t vaccinated, you can easily pass the virus to a baby. Chances are that sometime over the fall and winter, you will be spending time with children even if you don’t have your own, whether it’s a grandchild, niece, nephew, or a friend’s child. Keep these little ones healthy and get your flu shot.
Prevent spread to others.
When I ask why they don’t want the vaccine, many patients tell me, “Well, I’m usually pretty healthy. I haven’t had the flu in years.” Good for you. However, 20-30% of those infected with the flu will not have symptoms, but these people are still contagious. They can then pass the flu onto their neighbor, someone on the bus, a grandmother, or a friend’s kid without even knowing it. Don’t be a flu-spreader. Get vaccinated.
