That’s exactly why I’m not getting a flu shot… working in a health care facility at that! Health nurses try to encourage employees to get the shot but for what! I’m not putting myself through the painful sensation ever again- get the injection on Monday and a week later your arm still aches- and for what! Still have flu like symptoms but not the flu (so they say).
Jack
The author has missed a very important reason to get a flu shot.
Studies HAVE conclusively proven that an elderly person whose caregivers (whether family or professional) are vaccinated is less likely to get the flu than a person whose caregivers are not, regardless of whether or not he himself is vaccinated.
This is because although the vaccine doesn’t take well in those with compromised (less efficient) immune systems (such as the elderly), it does take in a percentage, sometimes a very large percentage, of those who are in the prime of their life. (And most people get the flu from another person, often before the infected person even knows he’s sick).
Since the flu is a major cause of death for the elderly, anyone who finds himself around the elderly should get vaccinated.
btw, great blog. I’m a regular (although with long gaps) visitor.
