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How Important Is The Flu Shot
Posted by goshopper1 • 1/08/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: flu, health, vaccines
A new study finds that the flu shot can prevent blood clots and has other health benefits.
How important do you think the flu shot is to you?
wellingdigital.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/flu-shot-may-prevent-blood-clots/
User Comments
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For me it partners with my pneumonia shot to prevent me from getting hospitalized every year. With the flu shot I get less colds resulting in fewer and less severe cases of broncitis. I rarely get the flu virus and even when I do it is far less and does not last long enough for infection to set in elsewhere in my body. -
How important is the mercury and aluminium in the flu shot? -
Quite important! Prevent is always better than cure right? -
5th day with the flu here... I'd say it's pretty important.. Sure wish i had taken it. -
I once had a flu shot and didn't get flu for years after but I always forget to get round to it. Working outside tends to protect me but I'm keeping my fingers crossed just the same. Just keep away from people and wash your hands a lot if you forget the jab! -
An important factor when considering the flu shot is that the injection itself is comprised of the 3 most likely strains to have an impact on the population as a whole. The vaccine does not protect you from strains outside of the ones you are presently being immunized for. Oftentimes, the side effects can similate those of having the flu such as body aches, fever, runny nose, abdominal pain, vomiting and several others. Consequently, is it worth having the shot?
Those most susceptible to the flu are the elderly and immunocompromised. It is alarming at the amount of people who die from the flu each year. As a nurse, I have witnessed this many times. However, I still have to question its effectiveness when it doesn't protect against all strains. Even those who have had the vaccine, still die from the flu.-
If you are a nurse, then you know that prevention is better than cure. Yes, some people will have flu-like symptoms after injection, but more likely than not, they will be much, much milder than a full-blown case of the disease, with the added benefit of antibodies that will fight the flu off when they are exposed.
As a medical professional you know that doctors and researchers do not have crystal balls. They cannot see into the future to determine absolutely which strains of flu will be most prominent in the coming season. They can only make educated guesses.
Also, you seem to be ignoring the fact that the strains against which we are immunized will make a smaller showing in the statistics than they otherwise would have, giving strains against which we are not immunized a bigger share of victims, at least statistically. So, if the shot I take is effective against strain A but not strain B, then instead of getting two kinds of flu this year (usually back-to-back, as the second one strikes while your resistance is low from fighting the first one), I will only get one.
Is a little prick in the arm and a couple of bucks worth keeping one or more types of flu at bay, even if I am still at risk for another couple of kinds? Of course! And as a medical professional, you should be encouraging people to lower their risk (i.e., risk of 2 flu vs risk of 4) rather than increase it.
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If you don't get it you could die from the flu, and if you do get it, you could still die from the flu, but your chances of getting it full fledged with the shot is reduced since your body has already learned how to combat the current string for that year. -
That's the thing, there are hundreds of strains, so I'll pass on the mercury and aluminium in the vaccines, so I dont become forgetful with age.
Not saying this a complete picture, I do recommend watching "Vaccine Nation".
video.google.es/videoplay?docid=6531447125053615129-
I really hate it when people start scaremongering.
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Are you speaking of the average doctor who peddles the Rockefeller snake oil?
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I think it's more important for people with immune problems, and less important for healthy individuals.
I've never had a flu shot, every time I've taken Punky to the ped's office, they have been out of flu shots, so Punky's never had one either.
None of us have died from the flu. (Obviously). But we are healthy individuals, who take care not to get sick if we can (it's not all preventable), and take care of ourselves if we do get sick. I think I've had the flu maybe twice in my adult life. Punky has never had the flu.
*shrug*-
I completely agree. I have never had the flu or the flu shot. (knock on wood)
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Ah, George Carlin covered this on his "Fear of Germs" skit. You know how he kept himself from getting sick? By swimming in raw sewage! -
The vaccines had been predicted wrong for last 3 years in a row-
The researchers have run out of batteries for their crystal balls and don't have the budget to buy new ones.
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As a nurse, it is also important to provide accurate information for our patient as they are the one's who ultimately make the decision to follow through. I am not for or against. I just question its effectiveness. And yes, prevention is always the best.
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Does it stimulate the body to produce antibodies to the strains of flu it was formulated for? If so, it is effective.
Are you a nurse who deals with the public? Haven't you noticed that most people are clueless about how such things as vaccines work or how they are made? Do you take the time to inform each patient how the immune system works and how the vaccine activates the immune system to produce antibodies against specific strains of flu? Because, believe me, even highly educated people are abysmally ignorant in this regard and they depend on the knowledge of their health-care professionals to keep themselves well.
Because so many people are ignorant of the basics of their immune systems, hearing a nurse question the effectiveness of a vaccine puts fear in their hearts. Perhaps it would be better if you made it clear that you do not question the ability of the vaccine to do what it is intended to do, you question whether the protecting oneself against a limited number of strains is worth the statistically low risk of contracting a mild case of the flu.
I vote yes. -
SV, some practitioners do, in fact, question the effectiveness of the flu shot through their own experience and medical findings.
All in all, it's not that hard to give people the basic information about it, and let them decide for themselves. You really do fail to give people credit for being able to think for themselves, sometimes. IN fact, many parents come to their pediatricians asking specific, pointed questions about vaccines, and they expect an honest answer.
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I think I need a flu shot, i got flu for 3 days now.Have been taking vit B and C and flu pills, but gradually cure
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It's too late once you have it. You need to get the shot several weeks before you get it so your body has a chance to build up antibodies. If you get one now, you'll get even sicker.
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The only time I've had a flu shot, I got the flu about 2 months later - a bad case of it at that. That was 26 years ago and since that time I have not had a flu shot nor have I had the flu. Go figure. -
Go figure, indeed.
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Yes nurses are in a good position for educating their patients.
Up to date information is important so the patients can make the right decisions. However nurses too rely on evidence to support for or against. This they acquire through research.
This study is an example; your respones are all taken into consideration. It appears that more research is required. -
A general practitioner of the old school in our town said he would NEVER inject that nasty stuff in his body. His statement really gave me pause, but I got the shot anyway. -
I have only gotten one once because it was a basic training requirement. Looking at these answers maybe I should go ahead and get one.
I am the anti doctor, I never go unless pregnant or forced to. -
I respect my patients enough to let them make their own decisions. 90% of them are adults and are capable of making up their own mind. My patients also respect me because I provide them with honest answers. Health care has changed in many regards. People use the internet and various other methods to stay up to date on issues that affect them. If I didn't relay all aspects, including the down side to my patients when they ask me, I certainly wouldn't gain their respect. In fact, there are many who will test you to see whether or not you are honest.
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When I asked the question some months ago about flu shots, the swine flu was unheard of.
Now researchers are trying to develop a vaccine for swine flu. They hope would be ready in six months. What we are seeing then is there is no single shot for all flus. Do they all have other health benefits?
What can we expect from the swine flu shot?-
We are always going to play cat and mouse with different strains of the flu. And, certainly, there is no one shot that will protect against all. Take HIV for example. It too is a virus. Viruses are constantly changing their composition which makes it hard to find the answer to a cure. And, is the primary reason that antibiotics do not work for the flu.
Once a virus enters a cell in the body, it combines with the genetic makeup of that existing cell. Since each person has their own genetic finger print, it obviously becomes an even more complicated process. As a result, the varying factors of our genetics combined with the virus spells failure for those who are trying to find a cure. IMO, we are going to see many more of these kinds of strains...and they will strengthen in severity.
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it is not a big deal at all. Never got a shot; never had the flu.
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