As the leaves start changing colors and the chill starts, the flu shot season comes as well. Many myths regarding influenza and its vaccine exist and many people decline this life-saving shot out of fear of falsities. The simple fact why everyone should take the flu shot is that it has proven to save lives and reduce hospitalizations. The very young and the very old are particularly at risk but even young otherwise healthy people die from the complications of influenza.
In the US, flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May. It is imperative to be vaccinated prior to the onset of any influenza outbreak. If you wait until the flu has arrived in your community, it is too late to be fully protected from this virus. Every year, thousands of people die from influenza complications. The myth exists that influenza is just like getting a very bad cold. Many use this as an excuse not to get vaccinated. This simply is not true. Influenza lasts much longer, up to 2 weeks in some people. Patients who are affected with influenza are very sick and very often bed-ridden. And then there are the complications: pneumonia, secondary bacterial infections, dehydration and the exacerbation of underlying chronic medical conditions such as asthma or congestive heart failure.
There are many people who decline the flu vaccine because it made them sick in the past. True there can be some side effects of the vaccine but people do not get actual influenza from being vaccinated. The influenza vaccine is inactivated so infection from it is not possible. Side effects can mimic the flu: fever, muscle aches, cough, headache, itching and soreness at the injection site. However, these symptoms are much milder than influenza symptoms and usually resolve in 24-48 hours.
Many people decline the flu vaccine because it didn’t work for them in the past. Keep in mind, the flu vaccine is not immunizing you from every strain of influenza that exists. It is immunizing you for the most common ones that are predicted in a given year. Every year, this predominance changes and we can see a mismatch like occurred last year (2014-2015). However, most years the predictions match the strains in the flu vaccine. And if you did get sick despite taking the flu vaccine, it was most likely caused by another virus. So, it still makes sense to get vaccinated.
There are some people who don’t trust the ingredients the vaccine may contain. There are many theories out there regarding pharmaceutical and governmental conspiracies regarding this vaccine. But, the truth remains that millions of people have been safely vaccinated across the globe without suffering these imagined ills. There is no conspiracy here. That would require governments that don’t even get along with each other to be conspiring together.
Many people now obtain their medical knowledge from the internet. While this is a great resource to learn more, care must be taken not to fall for pseudoscience. The best way to know what is real or not is to ask your doctor or other healthcare professional. Because despite what you may have heard or read, the safest bet is still to be vaccinated against influenza. The life you save may be your own or someone around you.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Linda Girgis, MD, FAAFP
