Flu Shot - Kansas City,MO

I volunteer at the school and am around probably 90 kids within that time. Plus, my family can't afford for me to be 'down' for two weeks, so yeah, I get my flu shot. I've never had any side effects and if I get it at the pharmacy, there's no copay.

So, considering it's more or less 'free', it seems like a small inconvenience in order to avoid a potentially large inconvenience.

This scientist's "opinion" does not bear out scientifically. My opinion doesn't HAVE to be scientific - I'm not a scientist. I think he's a class B jerk. It's important to get flu shots. The problem with the flu spreading around is that not enough people get them. THAT'S why we have flu epidemics in pockets of the country every year. NOT because the shots don't work.

Yes, we get flu shots. But if we're around people coughing on us, 20% of us who got the shot will statistically still get the flu, although not as bad a case of it.

It doesn't matter if one believes in the flu shot. It is science - it works whether or not one believes.

I usually get a flu shot - sometimes late and that is sheer laziness. I always get my son one - he uses an inhaler sometimes and does not need to get the flu.

We get ours every single year. I also administer hundreds of flu shots every year. I believe in the efficacy of the flu vaccine. I believe that vaccination saves lives, and I believe that even if you're a strong, healthy person, you are protecting OTHERS who cannot be vaccinated by getting yourself and your family vaccinated. Vaccination isn't just about you. Or me.

I thank every person who vaccinates. Thank you for getting your TDAP booster and saving a baby's life from pertussis. Thank you for getting your annual flu shot and saving a grandma's life from pneumonia caused by influenza. Thank you for getting your sons their Gardasil shot and boosters and saving someone's daughter from HPV-caused cervical cancer. Thank you, thank you, thank you for knowing that it's not just you in this world. ♥

Some good stuff here. Bonus, it includes citations. http://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2014/10/10/33-flu-vac...

That report is an Urban Legend.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/flushot.asp

We all get them every year.
We've already got ours for this year.
I had the flu once a long time ago.
If anything can prevent it or help it be not so bad - I'm for it.
It's totally miserable and leaves you feeling weak and tired for weeks and it certainly kills plenty of people every year.

Thank you, B! I had just gone on Snopes to check this out and my reply got eaten. Thanks for the link.

S., go to the link B. gives. This "article" is a blog post on a "natural news" site and is based on an item that is not a scholarly, scientific, researched and peer-reviewed scientific paper; the item was in the opinions and features section of a medical journal. And the blog also quotes someone who has a history of talking about health risks in many everyday items -- while there surely are many risks around us, please take everything with a huge grain of salt when you hear things from "experts" who aren't basing anything on specific research results.

We all get our shots every year. Healthy living is great and does help one fight off diseases, but a virus can invade even if you eat perfectly and stay in great shape. This is why there are vaccines. People tend to forget these days that flu and complications of flu can be, and too often are, deadly.

I "believe" in science. Our entire family gets flu shots or the flu mist (kids choose this) each year.

I had the flu about 20 years ago and ended up in the ER, struggling to breathe. It's nothing like a cold and is serious stuff. I've had a flu shot diligently ever since.

Anyone can say things about vaccines, but that doesn't make them experts. There are nuts out there saying you can treat brain disorders with vitamins. I go with mainstream medical advice.

Most people who are against having a flu shot have never had the actual flu. They've had colds. The last time I didn't have the flu shot was 20 years ago. That year, the flu was particularly bad. I caught it, and was so sick I was hospitalized. I had NEVER been that sick before, nor have I been that sick since. It was awful. Needless to say, I've never skipped the flu shot since. Sure, I've had colds since then, some of them seeming pretty miserable at the time. But I've never had the flu, thank god.

I always make sure, every year, that both of my kids, my husband, and me, all have our flu shots as soon as they're available. I will not take the chance of one of my kids getting as sick as I was that one time. The flu is no joke.

With regard to the HPV vaccine, again I say that if you'd ever had an abnormal pap smear and the biopsies that follow that diagnosis, you might change your tune. Again, that is no joke. If you can protect your child from cervical cancer, why on earth wouldn't you? I guess to each their own, but my 12 year old just finished the third round of vaccines on that, and I will certainly have my younger daughter vaccinated just as soon as she can be.

Do I believe in it? Heck ya! If you want to see what happens when you don't vaccinate, visit a country that doesn't have access to such healthcare options! Or, look at historically what took place without the polio vaccine. I'm all for VACCINATE VACCINATE VACCINATE!

Link to the article, please. I suspect that the article was either misleading or completely false. Or that the "scientist" was not a medical scientist but maybe a chemist, or a physicist, or something like that.

Your claims have been disproven time and time again by "actual" scientists with medical backgrounds. Either medical doctors ( _not_ chiropractors or naturopaths) or research scientists with background in medical research/epidemiology.

If your kiddo was very sick, would you choose to go to a medical doctor or to a quack peddling apple cider vinegar as a cure for cancer? I know which one I would choose. I do not get medical advice from my butcher. I do not buy steak from my doctor.

We really try to get them every year.
I have had a very bad flu before and was super ill. I promised myself I would really try to avoid that.

Our daughter had childhood asthma, so she also gets a flu shot each year. There is no way she is going to take a chance on being ill for any period of time.

Whether or not you support vaccination, please note B's excellent answer pointing out that the info circulating on facebook is not true.

It mixes an opinion article by a Hopkins postdoctoral fellow (meaning, he had his PhD but was still in training) with a different former surgeon who also happens to be a conspiracy theorist (just because someone got an MD doesn't mean they don't like to stir up drama, and what expertise a former surgeon has in epidemiology is beyond me).

So, vaccinate if you trust vaccinations, and don't if you don't. But don't let this kind of spam influence you.

I used to never get flu shots (and I never got the flu) even though I believe in vaccinations. I started getting the shots with my first pregnancy in 2010 - I was in my late twenties then. My daughter was born in July so she couldn't get the flu shot when it became available in September because she wasn't 6 months yet. The moment she turned 6 months in January, I took her into get her first shot (babies getting it for the first time need two, one month apart) even though we were midway through the flu season.

I get scared reading reports of kids dying of flu. I don't think the flu can be prevented in kids by good hygiene, etc. because kids are so generous when it comes to sharing germs. If there's anything I can do to prevent the flu or minimize the symptoms, I'm making sure I do that for my daughter. I would hate to be the parent of a kid who got the flu and wonder "what if my kid had gotten the flu shot?"

Never for me or my kids. When they were little it wasn't recommended every year unless you were in a high risk group. I'm so thankful it wasn't because I have a kid who I *believe* was injured by vaccines (this is my OPINION). Can't imagine piling a yearly flu shot on top of all that.

For many years my husband and my doctor said to not worry about the flu vaccine. Our doc got one because he was seeing sick patients every day. Now suddenly we're all supposed to get it every year. No thanks.

Again, this is my own opinion and I am not a health care provider of any kind.

I don't get the flu shot based on one thing...the way it messed my up for a month after first time I had one. My dr bullied me into it, and within a day, I had was so sick, like a truck ran over me. Fever, aches, nausea. In bed for 3 days. But the exhaustion and body/joint aches lasted over a month.

Some would say I just got the flu and the timing of the shot was a coincidence. I didn't know a single person with it, have not ever had the flu this bad, and no one in my family got sick at all, not even a little. The shot is what did this, and there is no way I will get another one.

I started getting the flu shot after I had kids. When my kids were babies I didn't want to take the chance of giving them the flu. I have not had the flu since I started getting the flu shot. My kids started getting the yearly flu shot when they were old enough and they have not yet had the flu. I did get the flu a few times before I started getting the shot, and even developed pneumonia from it a coupe of times. It was not fun. Now, I work in schools and with infants, and would not want to take the risk of infecting any of the kids with the flu. I could not afford to take a couple of weeks off work to spend sick in bed either.

We have never had any side effects from the shot, besides a sore arm for a couple of days.

We get them every year. I haven't gotten ours yet but well before the month is over.

I always get vaccinated, as do my kids. I have had the flu once in my life when I was teaching school. I stayed so sick for the longest time (I am very healthy, too). That was the time I got so sick with fever that I hallucinated an angel at the end of my bed- at that minute I seriously thought I was going to die.
Maybe they aren't as effective as they are claimed to be, but I really don't care. I'll take my chances to avoid having to go through the flu.

I have never gotten a flu shot, and don't see myself ever getting one. My husband got one for a long time because he was in the Navy and worked in the medical field, it was required. I always knew when he got it because he got sick. My two oldest got the shot in 2005, never will again. I know the research on both sides, I know the benefits of it. I also saw first hand the side effects of it.

I know there are many passionate on both sides of this, but we opt out of this one. We get every other vaccine though. No other one has done to my kids what this one did. So no thanks.

Well, "believe" in them? Flu shots are real! Lol

Never had a flu shot in my life.

HOWEVER, there is now evidence that people that get yearly flu shots are healthier later in life. So seriously considering it this year.

We choose not to get the flu shot. We are overall very healthy and have never had an issue. Now, I did participate with all vaccines with exception to the Guardisil vaccine for my daughter as she grew up. She is now 19.

That said, IF I had an impaired immune system, were older and more susceptible to the flu, my opinion may very well change. Both of my parents and step dad (72-mom, 74-dad, 80-step dad) do participate with these vaccines.

I believe it is a personal choice based on the needs for your family.

I cannot answer to any of the scientific theories because I do not take the time to look into it at this point in my life.

We all get the flu shot (hubby is required to for his job). We also have a SN child and follow the recommendation of his doctors. I tested positive for the flu last month. I only had symptoms for a day and nobody else in the house got it. Was it luck? Was it that I had my flu shot (I haven't gotten one yet this year--was last year's shot still effective?)? Who knows? I'll get the shot.

I see you're from KC. Our son was cared for by CMH for the first 5 years of his life. Love CMH!

I do not get the flu vaccine and do not give it to my children. I was hospilized as a child with the flu, and I was hospitalized has an adult with a severe reaction to the flu vaccine. I rather get the flu, then deal with the severe reaction and side affects of the vaccine. The flu vaccine is the only vaccine that you sign a waiver stating that you will recieve no compasation from the manufacture if something is wrong with vaccine batch.

I don't get them, neither do my husband and kids. We are all (knock on wood) relatively healthy and don't spend significant amounts of time in close proximity with anyone immuno-compromised. If we had someone in the family with a chronic illness or undergoing chemo or something I would consider it for the peace of mind of that person, but by and large I think that the science behind the flu shot is spotty at best, that it doesn't stop the spread or reduce mortality, and that we really don't understand the long-term side effects of this, especially on at-risk populations like the elderly, and that marketing and profit of the pharmaceutical companies are driving the recommendations, not actual science and proof of efficacy.

No, we do not get any shots at all. I'm 47 and used to get the flu shot when I started working in my early 20's. I was sick with stomach issues every single year. I have not had one in 20+ years and have not thrown up once since. My kids are 12 and 15 and have not gotten immunizations in the last 7 years and they have never had a flu shot and they have not thrown up since they were babies. We are not crazy hand sanitizer people or keep the house spotless. I think we have good genes but also think not getting shots play a big factor in our health. Now allergies? That's a different story! I'm allergic to practically everything. lol

My employer offers one for free, the local pharmacies offer them at a great discount ($10 or less). We often get them. I'd prefer the mild cold symptoms that you sometimes get after a flu shot over the week long body aches, chills, fever, and malaise that is the flu.

Best,
F. B.

I agree with B to check out these "articles". For example, there are numerous ones about the flu and about cancer from "John Hopkins" Medical Center that have been floating around for years. The red flag should be the name of the Center which is actually "Johns Hopkins". No legitimate scientific posting would get the name of the institution wrong! I ALWAYS check at Snopes.com which does a very good job of telling you if something is false, partly true, or true.

I am also very careful about celebrity doctors like Dr. Oz. He's dispensing nutrition and other advice, yet he has no background in anything other than cardiothoracic surgery, and he has been called before Congress to explain his unsubstantiated claims about "miracle" diet cures and other claims. He was just called out by the press a second time within the last few weeks. If I did everything he recommended in order to make good TV, I'd have to turn over 2 rooms in my house to individual vitamin pills and magic foods, spending my entire day as kitchen chemist making my own cocktails of nutrients.

Flu vaccinnations - in general they are strongly recommended for anyone with a weakened immune system including children, the elderly, those with respiratory issues including asthma and COPD, as well as those in the health care field, teachers, and anyone else who is in touch with large segments of the general population (since people go to work sick and send their kids to school sick, there's a high risk in schools and offices). With our nutrient-deficient food supply, the "immune suppressed" category includes pretty much everyone, including those who "eat right". There is always the risk that another flu strain will be the big threat, and the vaccination won't affect it, but you have no way of knowing that ahead of time.

Unless you are doing something extraordinary to bolster your immune system that's based on science and not commercials (like Airborne) or fear-mongering (like the guy making millions selling Vitamin C as a prevention for Ebola, which is bogus), you should get the shot. I work in food science and epigenetics, and most of my colleagues and I have not gotten the flu shot due to extremely strong immune system support. But it's not because we're opposed - we just know that sometimes there are vaccine shortages and those who truly need the shots don't have access.

As panicked as people are about Ebola (which is not airborne), thousands of people die every year from the flu, which is airborne. So it makes sense to get the shot.

Our family does not get the flu shot each year but we do all other vaccines. Well..I take that back. We have not given the HPV to our 14 and 12 year olds. I am waiting abit longer to do more research. Our kids are not sexually active so no rush.

I saw the "article" today show up on my fb newsfeed. It is shown on what seems like an anti pharma site. I checked snopes right when it popped up and it states that the doctors referenced had sketchy backgrounds in medicine and some far stretched "beliefs".

Personally, I just weigh pros and cons in our family and take the risk of not getting that one vaccine. We are very healthy and have healthy eating,sleeping and exercise habits.

I have too many friends and extended family member that have said they or their family members got sick after getting the flu shot. Ugh!!

We all get it every year. My husband works for a major hospital. He has to get it every year. I had a fairly mild case of the flu several years ago. I have never been so miserable in my life. I know the vaccine isn't 100% guaranteed to stop the flu, but if it will lessen my symptoms even a little, I will get it. As a teacher, I don't want to take a chance! And personally, I'm always skeptical when it is just one study.

I get mine every year, and have already gotten it.

I work in a middle school, and feel I need the added protection.

Could you provide a link to that article? My daughter just got her doctorate at Johns Hopkins School of public health in Microbiology (and did research on influenza) and I would like to read the article for myself.

Personally, even though he is a scientist, that is his opinion. I'd like to see studies backing that.

BTW..... he did his post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins.... he is now at U MD... (University of Maryland).... here is a Snopes article about it, also....

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/flushot.asp

Lots of differing opinions on vaccines!

I get one, my daughter has already had hers this year and I'll be getting mine this weekend. My infant is too young for one.

I don't really read much about this stuff, so my opinion is only based on what I personally experienced.

My son got a flu shot when he was around 6. He developed a softball sized rash around the injection site which lasted for 9months. NINE MONTHS. Doc's only explanation was "He must have been really sensitive to that flu shot." Great. So we don't get them anymore. Every year I explain to the pediatrician why we don't want the flu vaccine, and that we're careful to avoid super crowded places and always, ALWAYS wash our hands very well whenever we've been out, etc. Every year, the pediatrician tells me "yeah, that's fine, I agree you shouldn't get the flu vaccine". EVERY YEAR, same conversation.

Nobody in my family's ever gotten the flu. Maybe we've just been lucky and our luck will run out this year. I don't know. I do know that we'll continue to decline the flu shot.

Eh.I get one because I get it for free with my health screening for my insurance every year.
I'm not sure if I think it's effective or not. But I've never had a bad side effect, so why not?

I got mine at work about 2 weeks ago. I do plan to get my kids vaccinated as well. One of my girls has had a tough year so her immune system is a little "weak" so to speak. 2 of my kids have had pneumonia this year (she is one of them). My husband will have to decide himself. If I get the flul, I still have to take care of everyone--no rest for mom--no matter how I feel. While the vaccine does not have everything it could possibly have, it does have at least the most recent strains.

And as for gardisil--I am leaving that decision to my girls. They know about it, have been educated about hpv and cervical cancer and have 8 years to decide if they do want it or not. A friend of mine had her daughter vaccinated with it mainly because both she and her sister have high levels and get paps every 4 to 6 months. Their mom had cancer.

Last two kids got theirs this morning. I got mine last month.

I have gotten one every year since 2003 because I have a compromised immune system. However, my husband never gets one and I don't believe my daughter has ever gotten one. then again, she's never had the flu. Getting her the shot might be something I may need to re-think. The flu shot tends to lessen the severity of the flu if you get it, it does not necessarily prevent you from catching it. The shot is more of a preventive measure.

i wish the vaccination question weren't always so centered around 'do' or 'do not.'
i don't get the flu vac, and never have. i didn't have my kids get 'em when they were at home and i don't think they do, even my science major who is very pro-vaccine. because he's capable of nuanced thinking.
my husband gets one every year.
there are vaccines like polio and rubella that have made the entire planet a better place. there are some like the flu that are pretty much feel-good. and then we have gardasil, which i think is a travesty.
20 years ago there were no flu shots, so your example is null and void.
khairete
S.

I never get them, and I never get them for my kids.

I don't have any serious feelings on it, just lazy. And the flu is not something super scary sounding to me. If someone were to show up at my house with the needle free of charge I would so "Okay" no prob. It's just not important enough for me to go out of my way for.

Honestly, I have not done any serious research on this, just my own perception and experience has shown that they don't do much. I have seen more side effects (I got the flu shot and got sick the next day! type) and nil effects (I got the flu shot and still got the flu) than positive effects (I got the flu shot and stayed pretty healthy all season!) So I don't bother. Not against it though.

I get every other vaccination for my kids though. It's just the flu is one thing of so many the kids get in the season anyway (croup, cold, etc)

We didn't at first, but around i think 4 years of age, i started getting the flu shot myself and my kids. my husband has to get it every year because he is the flu for all viruses out there. whatever my kids don't catch in school, my husband will surely get it somehow. we have had the flu, but very mild, usually just high fever for 5 days. i will take that any day over the real flu. yikes.

I just got my daughter the flu shot. Only because she is diabetic and her immune systemail is weakened because of it and can end up in the hospital easily. I won't get ome for myself yet but will need to once I am done with school for my field. I think if your immune system is compromised for any reason then yes you should get one.

I don't "disbelieve" in a flu shot but don't get one. I couldn't catch the flu if I tried as a kid (and I tried - I saw it as a week off from school). As an adult, I no longer tried to catch the flu, but hadn't had it for years. The first year I got a flu shot, I got the flu. I got another flu shot the next year and got the flu again. Skipped a year, no flu. Next year, shot, and flu. Now, granted all of the flu's were mild and only put me out of commission like 2-3 days, but I haven't had a flu shot in 4 years and haven't had the flu. I do NOT believe that the vaccine causes flu or made it so that I had the flu. There is no science to support that. But, I can't get over my own mental correlation.

My husband gets one every year at his office for free.

The kids - 2-3 out of 4 get it. The September and December birthday kids always get it because they are having a well visit near flu season. My daughter (May birthday) only gets it if she's at the doctor for some reason during flu season. My other child (July birthday) never gets it because the doctor doesn't have them in July and he never gets sick, so he's not in the doctor's office during flu season. So, to sum up - I don't seek out the vaccine but give it if it's available when I have a child at the doctor.

I used to get them sporadically, some years I would and some I wouldn't. I got my kids them for the first few years of their lives and have skipped it probably the last 3 years or so. I can't say that any of us have had the flu, shot or not. My son is now almost 10 and is quite the germaphobe so I asked him since he is old enough to help make decisions about his body if he wanted one and he said he did. So he will, my daughter is still not sure. I will miss it and my husband probably should get one but I don't know if he will or not. Do I believe in it? Not as much as I believe you have a better chance at not getting it by proper hygeine, good sleep and a good diet. The last time I got the shot I was unable to eat eggs without running to the bathroom for a good year or two. Is it related? Who knows.

we have never had a flu shot. We have only had the flu once and that was after a cross country move and our immune systems were not used to the new area and new germs. I do not like to vaccinate at all, but we are moving to West VA in the spring and they do not have a personal or religious waiver there so I am being forced to. Here in VA I have signed waivers. My son has had a severe reaction in the past and he has a lot of allergies to medications and antibiotics so it makes me really nervous.

My son got his at his 10-year well visit today (downside of an October birthday is every year at his well visit he gets a shot!). Husband got his at work a week or two ago. Daughter and I are going to Target on Monday to get ours (my pharmacist there has done mine the past three years now).

I've always gotten one and always made sure the kids did too. My husband NEVER got one because "I don't get the flu."

Then he actually did get the flu one year, and has gotten the shot ever since. Just about the sickest he has ever been.