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That article is from a highly biased antivaccination, antiscience, anti-modern medicine organization. It is in the business of selling supplements (and has been warned repeatedly by the FDA for making false claims).

It is true that there are some risks to any medical procedure. Immunization is one where the benefits seem to outweigh the risks by a huge margin.

It is also true that if everybody else gets immunized, you will benefit without having to share in the risks. Seems a bit on the selfish side to me, but that one's up to your conscience. .

Mmm... and 'modern' medicine, pro-vaccination articles/stats aren't biased either....

The more informed we can become the better. I don't believe everything that the CDC and AMA puts out.

Wow, that's not a good thing to write.

I prefer to boost my immune system with healthy diet and sanitary habits. A little bit of common sense goes a long way.

It's rather funny that, in years past, whenever I got the flu shot, I got the flu regardless.

Every year, chasingrainbows. Thanks for raising the subject, and I wish you the best of health this year.

I've had the flu. Didn't like it. The shot helps keep it away, or lessen its intensity if you do get it.

It is actually a more dangerous disease than many realize--- even in an ordinary year, there are thousands of deaths. In a pandemic year with a hemorrhagic flu similar to 1914-18, hospitals would be overwhelmed and it would be impossible even to provide respirators to all who required them.

It's really so much better to do everything you can not to get it, not to spread it, and to lessen its impact if you do contract it.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/fluactivity/

"...Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. CDC estimates that from the 1976-1977 flu season to the 2006-2007 season, flu-associated deaths each season ranged from a low of about 3,000 people to a high of about 49,000 people..."

As I was leaving the pharmacy a few days ago, a young lady was just entering the door of the hospital, coughing like a fire engine. She didn't so much as bother to cover her mouth (that was a pretty picture), let alone using a handkerchief. Get a clue, people!

http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/influenza.htm

"...In particular around 450,000 civilian deaths were incurred in the prosperous United States, the majority among otherwise healthy people under the age of 40. In Britain some 228,000 civilian casualties died; 400,000 in Germany. Hardest hit however was India with a reported 16 million casualties alone..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flu

"...Typically, influenza is transmitted through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus. Influenza can also be transmitted by direct contact with bird droppings or nasal secretions, or through contact with contaminated surfaces. Airborne aerosols have been thought to cause most infections, although which means of transmission is most important is not absolutely clear.[8] Influenza viruses can be inactivated by sunlight, disinfectants and detergents.[9][10] As the virus can be inactivated by soap, frequent hand washing reduces the risk of infection.[11]

"Influenza spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, resulting in about three to five million yearly cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 yearly deaths,[12] rising to millions in some pandemic years. In the 20th century three influenza pandemics occurred, each caused by the appearance of a new strain of the virus in humans, and killed tens of millions of people..."

"...The most famous and lethal outbreak was the 1918 flu pandemic... which lasted from 1918 to 1919. It is not known exactly how many it killed, but estimates range from 50 to 100 million people. This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed as many people as the Black Death..."

This has been quite effective for me. Only had flu once in 50 years.


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Check out "Why don't we do it in our sleeves?" to see state of the art cough and sneeze catching.

http://www.coughsafe.com/watch-videos.html

Superstition vs science.

The choice is yours.

I've made mine.

Ann, thanks for bringing a little levity to a serious topic. My grandmom lived a ripe old age on a shot of brandy each evening and homemade chicken soup.

I am digesting all of the facts/opinions here, and am still afraid. I did have one horrible year when I started teaching in school, where I was sick every other month, and ended the year with a two week bout of H1N1. After that, I've seemed to build up an immunity. HOwever, the fear of getting that sick again is always in the back of my mind. Coincidentally, the boost in my immune system also happened when I started acupuncture treatments. Been getting them twice a month ever since the dreaded H1N1.

Matter of fact, Ann, CDC says that alcohol does deactivate the flu virus. But I have a feeling you're not washing your hands with perfectly good whiskey. Anyway, they had whiskey in 1914--- plenty of it, too--- so I don't know why so many people died from flu that year.

Acupuncturist told me that it can be useful for improving immune response, though I was not seeing him for that. Unfortunately, it did not do much for my back pain... but it is not superstition; the science is backing it up. The giant HMO Kaiser actually employs acupuncturists, and they're pretty much straight down the middle with Standard of Care. If it helps you, chasingrainbows, it certainly beats getting sick.

NPR's 'Science Friday' had a whole show on flu today. Speaking of science, the objects from which it was most readily possible to culture flu virus, by swabbing them, was the category Kid's Toys. They did not mention swabbing the keys of teachers' pianos, but...

I get a flu shot every year. I love myself. I also love the people around me.

Not getting a flu shot would be most disrespectful of the people around me.

Forrest

Am I the first to get this? If intentional, good one!

Yearly flu shots have been very effective for me in reducing frequency and severity of influenza. Before I started getting the shots I was getting hit hard most years and each year I seemed to get it worse than before. After the year I was almost hospitalized, my doctor suggested the shots even though at that time they were only being recommended for the elderly.

Yeah, I got it!

To those who are nervous about the flu shot - get over it! Have the injection! The side effects of the flu shot are so much less than a bout of the flu. The flu can be deadly to you and those around you. Nobody has ever got the flu from the vaccine - it's an incomplete, dead virus. A few people have already had the real flu building in their system when they had the injection and then blamed the vaccine. This is just coincidence. I haven't had the flu in almost 20 years because of the flu vaccine - and I'm around sick people a lot and I'm diabetic so I have a higher susceptibility to catching the flu. It works, trust me.

The chances of getting the flu after having the vaccine are very low. Having the vaccine doesn't weaken your immune system. It actually stimulates it - the same way catching the real virus does, except without all the risk. I can't imagine teaching dozens of students and not having the flu vaccine - strong immune system or not. If you are lucky enough to have a good immune system, save it for everything else it will have to fight. Sooner or later everybody comes down with the flu, and you won't know when your immune system isn't as strong as it used to be. It's not worth the risk when you know how bad the flu can be and the shot is so simple. Don't be a hero. Get it for your own sake and for those around you.

I worked for 2 decades in public health. Flu shots were recommended for those at risk such as elderly, those with certain chronic disease, and health care workers. I found that recommendation to be reasonable. Those who are smokers or who live with a smoker are never mentioned. But these people will have a more difficult time recovering from a respiratory illness so may also want to consider getting a flu shot.

Now I see that flu shots are being recommended for everyone.

I see no science demonstrating increased effectiveness or lessened risk. IMO we are seeing effective marketing.

Risk may be as low as one in a million chance of serious side effect. Sounds like a small risk. But when 100 million doses are given each year, you may have 100 people with serious problems from it. If they were otherwise healthy adults, it was not a risk they needed to take IMO.

Ann, I am in agreement with everything you've said. The media is using every possible tactic to scare everyone of all ages into getting the flu shot--even going so far as to say that getting the flu can seriously impact your future health. Oh, seriously?

woodog, If people would STAY HOME when sick, sneeze and cough into their sleeves, and be respectfuly of those around them, the flu would not be so widespread.

Ando, I'm not tyring to be a hero, I follow alternative medicine, and very healthy eating habits, as well as a daily exercise regime, and am not ready to jump on the bandwagon and get a flu shot yet. I've had H1N1, and it was very rough, however, I also suffered extreme incapacitating vertigo for almost a full year as the result of medication. Nothing I've ever had was a debilitating as that, or scary. I couldn't even use my electric toothbrush, I walked as if I were drunk most of the time, and that was on a good day.

If students would practice slowly..

If drivers would ignore their cell phones..

If teens wouldn't smoke..

if, if if...

The plural of anecdote is not data, and the science is well settled on the flu shot. It is a good public health measure.

I still say that if you care about the people around you, you should get a flu shot.

but hey, I'm just one guy with a keyboard, an opinion and an internet connection.

So, ya know, take that for what it's worth. :-)

Forrest

If you failed to dispense those 100 million doses, there would be a lot more than 100 seriously ill people. Mortality rates for flu can be very high, and just having the flu can knock the stuffing out of your for several weeks or more. typical adverse reactions to the vaccine are very mild by comparison. The whole point is that the risk of the vaccine is much lower than the risk of the flu.

Dismissing it as a marketing scam sound like a conspiracy theory and is missing the point of just how important the flu vaccine has been. For the immuno-compromised people in society, and that includes me as a 20 year type 1 diabetic, it's a life saver. You wouldn't believe how bad the flu is for a diabetic. I haven't had the flu since getting flu vaccinations - prior to that I'd had it every other year. There have been some particularly nasty strains of the flu in recent years and that's what's driving the recommendation to get vaccinated. It's being recommended by health professionals across the board - they aren't all participating in a drug company profit-drive.

Of course, there are no guarantees with the fluvax. It doesn't always stop your catching the flu, but it's a measure I think a good many people should seriously consider. Teachers have the potential to spread the flu to a lot of people.

only if they didn't get the flu shot. I asked many of my students and parents and was surprised how many said they weren't getting the flu shot.

oh gush, flu shots - one of the biggest and dangerous scams recently. It's really tragic how naive people are...