Did you get a flu shot?

[Bill Jobe]

So did I. A couple of months ago.
I am just recovering from the flu that totally disabled me for the last week, after another week of just not feeling up to snuff.

[Ron Citerone]

Get it every year now. Cardiologist insists since the Yak Atack!

[Bert Kemp]

absolutely My PCP insists I get one.

[Bruce Page]

I get them every year.

[Jay Aubuchon]

Yes, every year since becoming type 1 diabetic as a result of a very severe case of pancreatitis in 2008.

[Paul F Franklin]

Every year. Unfortunately it's a crap shoot when they formulate the vaccine each year as to which strains to include. This year they missed the most prevalent strain so the vaccine wasn't as effective as one would like.

[Bill Jobe]

Every year. Unfortunately it's a crap shoot when they formulate the vaccine each year as to which strains to include. This year they missed the most prevalent strain so the vaccine wasn't as effective as one would like.

I mentioned that to my pharmacist and his response was " Perhaps you've picked up another virus".
I came very close to death when I was in my 20s. Temp was 105.5. Flu. I know what it feels like.

[Bill Jobe]

Every year. Unfortunately it's a crap shoot when they formulate the vaccine each year as to which strains to include. This year they missed the most prevalent strain so the vaccine wasn't as effective as one would like.

Paul, if they picked the wrong flu this season, why the seemingly lack of action to make another batch using what they know now?
If I got it and became seriously ill, could not an epidemic be right around the corner?
There are millions of elderly with far more medical issues than myself.
If what I had was the other candidate for an immunization, we may see record deaths before flu season is over.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Developing a vaccine for flu takes months. It's starts by looking at the flu infecting in the southern hemisphere countries, developing a vaccine for that flu and then mass producing it in a large enough quantities to vaccinate the public. Meanwhile that same flue continues to morph and change slightly while that vaccine is being developed for it's earlier version. Thus taking the flu shot doesn't necessarily protect you completely but it's generally accepted the flu shot might not completely protect you but will most often reduce the effects of the version you happen to contract.

My wife and I take the flu shots annually.

[Nathan Johnson]

Never.
I take a regimen of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

So far, so good.

[Jeff Body]

Yep!!!

I work for a hospital. It's required that we get a flu shot. If you chose not to get the flu shot you lose your wellness discount on health insurance, which doubles it, and you have to wear a mask from Jan to May whenever you're in patient care areas.
I love my job
I love my job
I love my job
and breath

[Bill Jobe]

Never.
I take a regimen of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

So far, so good.

I kept a similar regiment prior to this.
That nearly killed me.
I am 6'. When I was admitted to a hospital I weighed 128 pounds.

[Stephen Tashiro]

When exactly is "flu season"? I find it interesting that the website of the CDC has all sorts of information about "flu season" except for its dates! One page says the dates of flu season vary from year to year. There is another page shows the incidence of flu by month. My guess is that one should get a flu shot in September.

[Bill Jobe]

I think (at least in part) the flu season coincides with cold weather when people prefer to remain indoors making transmission of the flu more likely.

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes, I get the flu shot every year, where I live it’s a no cost procedure which may help with popularity.

My doctor remarked that this year it was very effective....Rod

[roger wiegand]

Th effect of flu in the US: "CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010."We're all freaking out about a couple cases of Corona virus (or Zika, or EEV) while 10,000+ people die every year and 100,000's are hospitalized at a cost of billions to the health care system and economy from a disease that is mostly preventable in the US. It makes me completely crazy.

[Mike Null]

I've been a regular on flu shots for years. They work. I also had a pneumonia shot a few years back. Both seem to be effective.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Five children got flu shots. Five children got the flu. Not suggesting the shot gave them the flu, just that it is not effective.

[Bruce Wrenn]

In 2016, had pneumonia TWICE, despite having both types of pneumonia shots. Last bout was with antibiotic resistant pneumonia. Spent 11 days in hospital. Had to have lung cavity on right side scraped. After that, I now get flu shots regularly.

[Jim Becker]

Every. Year.

[Bruce Volden]

I was raised an "army brat" and traveled all over the earth. Whenever dad transferred the whole family had to get vaccinated.
I was in the service in the early '70's and also had to get vaccinated to go over see's.
They must still be working!
NO!

Bruce

[Frank Pratt]

I get one every year.

[Jerome Stanek]

yes this was the first year now I just got over the flu and it is turning into pneumonia. went to the dr yesterday and he didn't think it was pneumonia but just to rule it out he did a blood test and sent my for an xray both confirmed I have pneumonia oh and I aslo had my pneumonia shots

[Stan Calow]

There are several different things that are out there that look like the flu, but aren't. We both been sick this month with symptoms anyone would call the flu, but tested negative for flu at the clinic. We get the shots every year.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I got mine in September. As a volunteer at the Manchester NH VA Medical Center it is required though I would get it anyway. They make it convenient for us by having the public health nurse at our awards dinner on a Sunday give the shots. The VA also has a "drive by" vaccination where you literally stick our arm out of the car and get the shot. Note for veterans in the VA system. You can get the shot free at Walgreens by just showing your VA health ID.

[Adam Herman]

every year. even if its not the perfect strain, it is still shown to reduce your symptoms of other strains of the flu.

[Nathan Johnson]

I kept a similar regiment prior to this.
That nearly killed me.
I am 6'. When I was admitted to a hospital I weighed 128 pounds.


I was having a bit of fun with my post. I do smoke, and I do drink coffee, but a busy month might be 3 whiskeys. If It matters, I’m 6’ 1” and 158 pounds. Been that for 20 years.

It is true that I’ve never had a flu shot, but I’m in my 30s with no immune issues. I exercise and eat healthy, and I mostly work from home. I do not have kids, nor do I have occasion to be around elderly folks. My exposure risk is low and I’m not much of a risk to transmit it to others. If the circumstances were different I’d likely get one.

(And before any assumptions are made, I am vaccinated for all the regular stuff and hold no weird ideology there.)

[roger wiegand]

Five children got flu shots. Five children got the flu. Not suggesting the shot gave them the flu, just that it is not effective.

Curious if your doc confirmed that it was flu by PCR or an antigen test? Or tested for immune antibodies to the current vaccine? A lot of folks blame every sniffle (including GI illness that has absolutely nothing to do with flu-- there is no such thing as "stomach flu") on flu, when much of it is not. Five real failures in a cluster might well get the attention of the CDC.

[roger wiegand]

yes this was the first year now I just got over the flu and it is turning into pneumonia. went to the dr yesterday and he didn't think it was pneumonia but just to rule it out he did a blood test and sent my for an xray both confirmed I have pneumonia oh and I aslo had my pneumonia shots

Remember that "pneumonia" isn't a disease per se, it's a symptom, fluid in the lungs. It can be caused by a fairly wide range of viruses and bacteria. The current vaccine will protect against a fairly wide range of Strep pneumo strains but not all of them, and of course it does nothing to prevent viral pneumonias.

[Karl Loeblein]

I wonder if there's a difference in protection with the 3 different types of FLU vaccines available this season?



IIV- Inactivated Influenza Vaccine administered as a shot
RIV - Recombinant Influenza Vaccine administered as a shot
LAIV - Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine or LAIV administered as a nasal spray.


Assuming each variant is made by different pharmaceutical companies.

[roger wiegand]

I wonder if there's a difference in protection with the 3 different types of FLU vaccines available this season?



IIV- Inactivated Influenza Vaccine administered as a shot
RIV - Recombinant Influenza Vaccine administered as a shot
LAIV - Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine or LAIV administered as a nasal spray.


Assuming each variant is made by different pharmaceutical companies.

The LAIV has been much less effective in several recent years, it wasn't available at all in our state this year due to efficacy concerns. The others are available in several different formulations, high and low dose, and seem to have similar efficacy. If one is concerned about the potential from illness from the vaccine then the recombinant vaccine is a good bet as it contains no whole or live virus. If you are in a very high risk group I'd consult with a physician about which is best for you. On general principles I'd expect the inactivated mix of viruses to have the best chance of working in any given year, but I haven't really looked at the data to know that's true.

[Darcy Warner]

I never get one. Can't remember last time I was actually sick.

[Pat Barry]

I got my annual shot in October. It may or may not be totally effective, however, I see no need to gamble with this as the science behind it is well proven. I don't much care if not everyone gets the flu shot either. What is very concerning is the anti-vax movement.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I don't get it, and haven't for 12-15 years. Every time I got it, I was sick, haven't had the flu since.

[Tom M King]

My 103 year old Mother had to go into Assisted Living a few months ago. They told her that she would have to have a flu shot, and asked her when she had her last one. She is still completely clear headed, and doesn't forget anything. She told them that the only vaccinations that she'd ever had were for Smallpox, and Polio, and have never had a flu shot.

I never remember her ever being sick, other than a couple of sniffly nose colds. She still has all her teeth, and has never had a cavity.

She told them that she would take the flu shot, if she had to. No one would give it to her. They said that whatever she'd been doing so far had been working, and any one of them would be mortified if she got sick from getting the shot, so she is not only the oldest client they've ever had, but the only one not to get the required flu shot.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

For nearly 40 years, I only got a flu shot twice because my MIL, a nurse insisted. Those two years, I got the flu worse than I ever had it with out the shots. Yeah, I know the shot won't give you the flu. But somehow it seems to attract it. Anyway, I get them now since I developed respiratory problems. My Mrs. is also a nurse at the local hospital. She tells me the shots this year slightly missed the mark when anticipating the types of flu that will be spreading. She has lots of cases of people getting flu despite the shots. So, I make fewer trips to places like supermarkets and out in public, and go when crowds are down, (like 6 am) I use wipes on the grocery cart handles, etc. I also eat citrus every day. Have every winter since I was a kid. Grapefruit, oranges, mandarins, drink hot Lemonade or limeade instead of coffee. etc. Every October I buy a case or two of limes, juice them, and freeze the juice. I have enough for hot drinks in winter and cold drinks in summer. This past year I got three cases of limes and two of lemons for $14.00. Might have enough for two years now.

[Jason Roehl]

My vaccine: eat well, exercise, be exposed (I work at a busy courthouse--you wouldn't believe the number of people who don't have a basic concept of hygiene), drink moderate amounts of alcohol almost daily, stay active aside from the exercise. I've probably had the flu twice in the last 25 years. My two sons (18 & 20) both had the flu the week of Christmas, when I was mostly home--neither my wife nor I caught it (one was tested, the other had the same symptoms).

[Erik Loza]

Yes, every season but never did until I got married (thanks to my wife for mandating regular health checkups, booster shots, etc.). When I was in my 20’s, got the flu when I was a retail manager for Petco. On the road a lot, long hours, etc. Thought I could tough it out. Flu turned into pneumonia over the next couple of months. Had a fever of 104 one morning, was so weak I couldn’t get out of bed one morning. Had to call my mom to take me to the ER. I had lost 20 lbs. during that time. Took me a couple if years to really recover. Moral of the tale being, I’m not too proud to go across the street to Walgreens for a flu shot.

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes, in Toronto we had a couple of cases of Coronavirus.

The one man that was hospitalized has gone home now.

Apparently Canada averages 3,500 deaths annually from influenza......I was amazed that it was that high......Rod

[Mark Bolton]

I have never had a flu shot in 52 years and swore I would never ever get one. I have always been of the notion that not having one my body builds diverse defense against the flu and like Darcy I am rarely ever sick. This year is a little different. I am maybe an odd bird in that Im 52, no kids, and now spend 98% of my time locked in my shop working. I dont come in contact with people a lot, I dont have petri dishes (kids) coming home every day with their own snot, feces from picking their crotch, and other kids pathogens, that my body builds immunity to, but the deal breaker for me was on a recent doctor visit we were talking about my work load and we currently have a project running at an assisted living/rehab facility (elderly) and in the conversation I had mentioned that just walking in that place gave me the creeps as far as getting sick or catching a bug, and she said "well another thing you may want to think about is YOU bringing a bug in there to them".

I got the flu shot.

Im healthy. Im confident I can fight and likely work through a bunch of the flu. Ive done it a time or two in my life. But Im not really interested in the notion of making some poor old woman or man in the last stages of their time on the planet, in a place that is not a pleasant place to be, sick.

Im still not happy I got the shot, but it is what it is.

[Darcy Warner]

I have 3 kids, they have all been sick this winter, I am the one that takes care of them because I rarely get sick.
I attribute my resistance it to not washing my hands before I eat and a glass of Lagavulin once a month. Lol

Maybe its because I also never use antibacterial hand cleanser either. I feel the more you try to protect yourself from germs, the more susceptible you are.

My SIL is a doctor, her and I don't get along well when it comes to health care practices, mostly because I hate doctors and the entire healthcare industry.

[Mark Bolton]

I have 3 kids, they have all been sick this winter, I am the one that takes care of them because I rarely get sick.
I attribute my resistance it to not washing my hands before I eat and a glass of Lagavulin once a month. Lol

Maybe its because I also never use antibacterial hand cleanser either. I feel the more you try to protect yourself from germs, the more susceptible you are.

My SIL is a doctor, her and I don't get along well when it comes to health care practices, mostly because I hate doctors and the entire healthcare industry.

You and I are out of the same mold. I believe chewing horse, cow, dog, whatever **** out from under your fingernails is what makes you strong. Parents who dont allow their kids on the floor, in the dirt, mud, and so on, wind up with the sickest kids on the planet. Its the answer behind peanut allergies and the malady of other "new" allergies that plague everyone in the US (strange its mostly in the US? We have tampered with the food).

That said, I have a soft spot for the extremely young and the extremely old. My getting a flu shot may do nothing, may help, I guess may hurt,... who knows.

[Brian Elfert]

I got the flu shot in October or November, but still got influenza in January. I had a 104 temp which is pretty high for an adult.

[Matt Day]

Every year. I believe in science.

[Mark Bolton]

Every year. I believe in science.

I am a colossal science junkie but the flu shot is simply a pull of the arm on a one armed bandit. They are making an educated guess as to whether the influenza virus is going to turn left, right, hard left, hard right, up, down, and so on. Its been widely reported by the clinicians themselves that the year they completely miss and it goes left and they go right, all hell is going to break loose. Hopefully they get a handle on it before that roll of the dice plays out.

My guess has always been that if we were a bit more dirty on a daily basis, and we were smart enough back in the day to not allow food/chem/pharma to tamper with the food supply and our drinking water, we'd have far less flu, allergy, MS, Cancer, Parkinsons, Lou Gherigs, and keep on running down the list. The crap in the system has made us weaker while many have gotten richer. Hopefully the tide will turn and we will get healthier.

[David Powell]

I used to travel a considerable amount, many times outside of the country, so I got into the habit of getting a yearly flu shot.

[Darcy Warner]

Every year. I believe in science.

Don't lie, its because your wife is a doctor and she makes you. Lol.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Yes, get a flu shot every year. I'd get 2, if they'd let me.





My guess has always been that if we were a bit more dirty on a daily basis, and we were smart enough back in the day to not allow food/chem/pharma to tamper with the food supply and our drinking water, we'd have far less flu, allergy, MS, Cancer, Parkinsons, Lou Gherigs, and keep on running down the list. The crap in the system has made us weaker while many have gotten richer. Hopefully the tide will turn and we will get healthier.

Mark, I'm curious...what makes you think we've gotten "weaker"? By any measure, human health (in developed countries) is the best it's been in the history of humankind.

[Mark Bolton]

Yes, get a flu shot every year. I'd get 2, if they'd let me.





Mark, I'm curious...what makes you think we've gotten "weaker"? By any measure, human health (in developed countries) is the best it's been in the history of humankind.

While I would agree in some component with regard to antibiotics (which is now blowing up in our face) things like simple wounds that would have killed us are now a lesser issue population is often living longer at a colossal expense. Look at healthcare costs in the last 10 years of life. We Hve spawned an industry that nurses a lot of people along that makes for a years of life number that lands in the stats that doesn't really correlate to years of life.

[Mark Rainey]

I am ambivalent about the flu vaccine. It seems to have a small value. The Cochrane Collaboration ( which looks for objective evidence ) states that if you give 71 people the vaccine, you can prevent 1 case of the flu. So 70 just get a sore arm. It is your choice.

[Mel Fulks]

Well, there are stats for at least more than a hundred years showing life expectancy moving up. Flu was one of those
"bring out your dead" things.

[Mark Bolton]

Well, there are stats for at least more than a hundred years showing life expectancy moving up. Flu was one of those
"bring out your dead" things.

Stats are moving up as are needed beds in assisted living facilities. We've all had family members in their 90s for 50 years.. it's not gone up much in my book to yhe contrary more and more people I know are dying of breast, colon, cervical, hodgkin's, heart disease from processed food, diabetes from sugar diet, on and on.

[Matt Day]

Don't lie, its because your wife is a doctor and she makes you. Lol.

Well, that and I learned about herd immunity in high school.

Don’t get me started on people who don’t get their kids vaccinated, for anything.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Stats are moving up as are needed beds in assisted living facilities. We've all had family members in their 90s for 50 years.. it's not gone up much in my book.ntonthe contrary more ant more people I know are dying of breast, colon, cervical, hodgkin's, heart disease from processed food, diabetes from sugar diet, on and on.

If you could choose, is there another time in human history you'd prefer to be living in? (With respect to living a healthier life)

I think the answer any sane person would give is a resounding "No". It was less than 100 years ago that diabetics were wasting into a terrible death because we didn't even understand that they needed insulin (or how to get/make/administer/dose it...). Less than 200 years ago, surgery was performed without anesthesia (as we had yet to discover/harness it).

[Darcy Warner]

Great, the last 10 years of my life I will have to take 10 pills a day just to make it through those years. The only winner in that is the healthcare industry and the pharmaceutical industry.

[Jim Koepke]

Great, the last 10 years of my life I will have to take 10 pills a day just to make it through those years. The only winner in that is the healthcare industry and the pharmaceutical industry.

Currently my pill regimen has me taking 12 pills a day. A few years ago open heart surgery likely extended my life. To me taking a few pills everyday to live a few more years is a no brainer.

Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present. (Oogway in Kung Fu Panda)

jtk

[Darcy Warner]

Currently my pill regimen has me taking 12 pills a day. A few years ago open heart surgery likely extended my life. To me taking a few pills everyday to live a few more years is a no brainer.

Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present. (Oogway in Kung Fu Panda)

jtk

I'm good, I despise pills, doctors an all things associated with that. I will live until I am done. No propping me along.

[Mark Bolton]

If you could choose, is there another time in human history you'd prefer to be living in? (With respect to living a healthier life)

I think the answer any sane person would give is a resounding "No". It was less than 100 years ago that diabetics were wasting into a terrible death because we didn't even understand that they needed insulin (or how to get/make/administer/dose it...). Less than 200 years ago, surgery was performed without anesthesia (as we had yet to discover/harness it).

That is a very subjective question. I have grandparents and elder family members that lived very long and productive lives perhaps somewhat by genes (which I hope I got a few of), somewhat by luck, but a lot of it because they grew up in a different time where the AG/Food/Pharma industries didnt pump their food full of who knows what. The running gag in my family was my mother would come home from school and her mother would say " oh honey....the fox got in your hen house last night and killed your chickens" well.. guess what was for dinner? There was no fox. It was the chicken that pecked around in the yard and wasnt pumped full of chemicals, debeaked, antibiotics, chlorinated when it was harvested, and so on. The same for the beef, hogs, lamb, vegetables, fruit, on and on.

Youve allowed yourself to be sold a bill of goods while your eating food full of BpA, Teflon, Corn Syrup, and chemical fillers. All the while you think your living a great life because youll get a few extra years populated with 3-4 doctors appointments a week, fighting lord knows what type of cancer, or other malady, that will undoubtedly be traced back to some crap laced in the Taco Bell or groceries we bought "on sale" in a styrafoam wrapper that saved us $0.50 yet cost millions in treatment down the road.

In my late teens (late 80's) I chose to go vegetarian for two reasons, I didnt want to put the chemicals the food industry way back then was putting in my food, and #2 because I was unable to be a part of the process. I was unable to kill an animal to feed myself and I was unable to raise an animal to be killed to feed myself. So I decided that I shouldnt enjoy the spoils of a process I couldnt be a part of. That lasted for nearly 30 years. My grandfather at the time ridiculed me for this decision and I would argue with him that he walked out and got dinner out of the front yard. They milked cows, or went to the neighbor who did. Raised their own hogs. All clean, pure, food.

I asked him repeatedly, how many people he knew through his life whole legs just kinda quit working (MS)? Got tremors and became debilitated (Parkinsons)? Cancer? Breast Cancer? How many women in his life wasted away for some unknown reason and just died? NONE. Some memories of women dying in child birth. That was about it.

By the time I was 25 years old I knew numerous people with MS. Cancer was commonplace (almost 30 years ago). Heart disease (processed foods and sugar) common place to the tune of my mother and father.

So yes, there are times that I can think of that would have been better to live health-wise. Perhaps not if I had gotten a 12" laceration in my leg that would have killed me due to an untreatable infection, but without a doubt there are surely times when people were just as healthy if not healthier than they are today with regards to longevity and they were not saddled with the manufactured illnesses that are a part of daily life now due to chemicals and pharma in our food and water.

Do yourself a favor and go see the movie Dark Waters that documents a trivial case in scope of corporate chemical contamination of a population and then when it was found they transported their business to the rest of the world so now 99% of the population of the planet has this petro chemical in their body. All in the drive of profit.

So yes, I can think of times when it may have been better to live. Though if you have great insurance, and dont mind spending a ton of your life and elder years in the doctors office or hospital, this is most definitely a good time to live. (espescially for those profiting from your long term care).

[Mel Fulks]

I remember seeing people on quiz- stunt shows who wanted to win an iron lung. Last time I heard any mention of those
devices was a news item about there being only a couple of people useing them.

[Edwin Santos]

I'm good, I despise pills, doctors an all things associated with that. I will live until I am done. No propping me along.

Well that's a rational, albeit uncommon response.
You definitely have the right to decline any medication or any medical care at any time.
Make sure you sign healthcare advance directives to this effect and make sure your loved ones have a copy so if you collapse or end up in an accident, your refusal of medical care will be documented.
As long as the advance directives are brought to the attention of the medical providers, it cuts them off from doing anything that might help you.
I believe you can also get a Medic Alert type bracelet that alerts paramedics or any health care providers that advance directives exist. As long as your instructions can be made known, the most they can do is stand there and watch you die.

In the absence of this, they are obligated to take all interventions that at the very least meet the standard of care in your state.

[Todd Trebuna]

I work for a hospital as well. The flu shot is required. It happens that I've got the flu the past two years despite getting the flu shot. Having said that, the symptoms were fairly mild for me, especially considering I'm Asthmatic.

[Brian Elfert]

That is a very subjective question. I have grandparents and elder family members that lived very long and productive lives perhaps somewhat by genes (which I hope I got a few of), somewhat by luck, but a lot of it because they grew up in a different time where the AG/Food/Pharma industries didnt pump their food full of who knows what. The running gag in my family was my mother would come home from school and her mother would say " oh honey....the fox got in your hen house last night and killed your chickens" well.. guess what was for dinner? There was no fox. It was the chicken that pecked around in the yard and wasnt pumped full of chemicals, debeaked, antibiotics, chlorinated when it was harvested, and so on. The same for the beef, hogs, lamb, vegetables, fruit, on and on.


Medical advances have wiped out many common diseases that used to kill a lot of people. My mother's sister died at age 11 of a malady that was somewhat common in the 40s/50s, but is unheard of today. (Sorry, can't recall the name right now.) How is the average lifespan so much higher today than 100 years ago if what people ate was so much better?

You may well live longer if you grow all your own organic food way back in the woods, but part of why you'll live longer is from all the physical activity required to grow all your own food. Many people today sit in an office all day and don't get a whole lot of physical activity.

[Kev Williams]

While medical advances may have helped wipe out common diseases etc etc, 'medical profession' advances, particularly when it comes to dispensing the results of medical advances, is sorely lacking. How many of us know of someone who has been, or is currently, over-medicated to the point of near total body-function shutdown? My dad in his mid 70's had 3 major surgeries, came thru all of them just fine. But he was prescribed MANY different meds by the different doctors (VA), all of which supposedly knew all of what was prescribed. Dad began getting tired and exhausted easily, and pretty soon just started falling down at random times. The final straw was when the bank called to tell us dad was sitting on the ground next to his truck, crying. When we got there he just said 'what the hell's wrong with me, I can't move?' He was ultimately taken off almost all meds, except his blood pressure and blood thinning meds. Within days it was like they'd done a 'dad' transplant, it was nothing short of miraculous. Lately my mother in law has been going downhill fast. We were told just after Xmas that we should prepare, as they didn't expect her to make it thru the night, he body was shutting down we were told. One of her doctors finally had the bright idea to come to the house and check out exactly what-all meds she's been taking. Turned out about 1/3 of her meds were contraindicated with another 1/3.... Mom's still going downhill but nothing like before. And then there's the opioid crisis...

Me, I'm a believer in the 'give your immune system something to do' approach. I have no 3-second rule, if I drop my hot dog on the ground, I'll wipe the dirt off and eat it anyway. I don't Lysol anything. I don't use Clorox wipes. I want those germs around so my immune system can show 'em who's boss. But I do know the difference between germs and viruses-- Right next to our front door we have a pedestal mounted auto-hand sanitizer. During cold/flu season I use it quite often, most of our customers do too. I wash my hands often. I use the sani-wipes at the grocery store. I'm okay with germs, but not other people's cold viruses.

I'm 65 years old and I can remember every doctor's visit I've ever had, because they're few and far between. I rarely get sick. I had the flu a couple of times when I was a kid, once as an adult. (or not- when you feel so crappy your hair hurts, I call it the flu ;) ) The only flu shot I ever had, got sick right after. Every once in awhile I'll catch a cold I haven't had yet, and I feel crappy for a couple of days. Sometimes I'll catch a cold I HAVE had, and feel crappy for maybe a day, while my immune system locates the virus killer. I don't take cold meds, because they make me feel worse. Any OTC with 'drine' in the name, no thank you. The absolute worst sick I've ever been was 3 times: food poisoning from a bad pizza, and 2 Everclear hangovers, which I would argue were worse than the bad pizza. (There's never been a 3rd)

But none of this stuff rates a trip to the doctor's offlice. Broke ribs however, http://www.engraver1.com/gifs/yup.gif

[Curt Harms]

Medical advances have wiped out many common diseases that used to kill a lot of people. My mother's sister died at age 11 of a malady that was somewhat common in the 40s/50s, but is unheard of today. (Sorry, can't recall the name right now.) How is the average lifespan so much higher today than 100 years ago if what people ate was so much better?

You may well live longer if you grow all your own organic food way back in the woods, but part of why you'll live longer is from all the physical activity required to grow all your own food. Many people today sit in an office all day and don't get a whole lot of physical activity.

I recall having read - don't recall where - that if the rate of infant/childhood deaths 50+ years ago were the same as it is today , average lifespan hasn't increased all that much. Childhood mortality is much lower today which helps the average a lot. And a very good point about physical activity or lack thereof.

[Jerome Stanek]

I read even with more people taking the flu shots the rate of the people getting the flu is going up explain that

[Rod Sheridan]

It varies from year to year.

The vaccine is developed a year in advance to counteract the predicted strain.

Some years the virus mutation is different than the prediction, so more people may be ill that year.

It’s also important to get your information from reputable sources such as the CDC or WHO.

[Steve Demuth]

I'm 65 years old and I can remember every doctor's visit I've ever had, because they're few and far between. I rarely get sick. I had the flu a couple of times when I was a kid, once as an adult. (or not- when you feel so crappy your hair hurts, I call it the flu ;) ) The only flu shot I ever had, got sick right after. Every once in awhile I'll catch a cold I haven't had yet, and I feel crappy for a couple of days. Sometimes I'll catch a cold I HAVE had, and feel crappy for maybe a day, while my immune system locates the virus killer. I don't take cold meds, because they make me feel worse. Any OTC with 'drine' in the name, no thank you. The absolute worst sick I've ever been was 3 times: food poisoning from a bad pizza, and 2 Everclear hangovers, which I would argue were worse than the bad pizza. (There's never been a 3rd)


I congratulate you on your health. Sincerely.

But I'm the same age as you, still able to work hard and contribute to society, only because modern drugs have saved my life multiple times. I would have died in my early 30s from a ruptured appendix, in the days before antibiotics. I have had essential hypertension (high blood pressure) for nearly 50 years. Uncontrolled, it would have killed me decades ago, as it did my grandfather, when he was 45. I work with a couple of folks with Type 1 diabetes, one also in his sixties. He'd never have made it to high school without modern medicine, but insulin therapy, and the ongoing improvement of insulin dosing has meant that he has almost the same life expectancy as you and me. He, BTW, has devoted his life to the treatment of blood cancers with viral therapy. There is a 40-something mother not far from here dying of untreatable lymphoma 7 years ago, who is now healthy, working, and able to see her children graduate from high school because of his research.

I mostly agree with you on the OTC drugs. I avoid them for the most part. But, as I say, I'd be long dead without the 3 prescription drugs I take for hypertension, or without antibiotics at critical moments.

[Jim Becker]

I read even with more people taking the flu shots the rate of the people getting the flu is going up explain that
The answer is quite simile...there are many strains of the flu virus and the immunization can never account for all of them. The vaccine each year is prepared anticipating what strains are most likely to be prevalent. Sometimes there is a miss on a major strain and sometimes there's mutation. While the vaccine isn't a guarantee that one will not get the disease or only have minor effects, overall, the population is best served by having that vaccine. A major reason for that is increased likelihood of exposure...modern travel is a big vector for transmission of communicable diseases.

[Mark Bolton]

Pretty much anything you hear/read from immunologists state plainly that the year the flu breaks left when they thought it was going to break right all heck is going to break loose which is why the world is so concerned about the corona virus. All the flu vaccine is is an educated guess as to which direction the virus is going to go in its next evolution. Its no different than a batter trying to anticipate what pitch the pitcher is about to throw. The only bonus for the batter is they have their reaction time from the release to the plate to attempt to adjust. There is zero allowance for a reaction to a left turn when the vaccine was manufactured months ahead for a right turn.

There was just an episode on Science Friday regarding much of this as it pertains to the Corona virus. Some scary statements in there like lead people in the industry are pretty much clear that the entire world is going to be in the state of China with regards to caution/quarrantine in 6-12 months with zero potential for a vaccine in the remote future and a virus that is 20 times more lethal than influenza.

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/stopping-coronavirus-outbreak/

[Jerome Stanek]

The answer is quite simile...there are many strains of the flu virus and the immunization can never account for all of them. The vaccine each year is prepared anticipating what strains are most likely to be prevalent. Sometimes there is a miss on a major strain and sometimes there's mutation. While the vaccine isn't a guarantee that one will not get the disease or only have minor effects, overall, the population is best served by having that vaccine. A major reason for that is increased likelihood of exposure...modern travel is a big vector for transmission of communicable diseases.

But why is it that more people are getting the flu

[Malcolm McLeod]

Some great points, Steve.

A few posts here (same as last year) remind me of the '15-minute societal memory' so many are afflicted with: If it wasn't yesterday, it didn't happen. Per the CDC, we have 12,000-61,000 flu deaths per year (since 2010) in the US. Flu seemingly has no impact at all on the US financial markets, but the media latches on to a 'new' virus and the market craters; for <1000 deaths worldwide...?? Apparently we've learned to live (and die) with the flu; Coronavirus, not so much. ...My condolences to all those impacted by either.

I wonder how many folks today have seen an infant die in 2hrs from Cholera? Ever seen an entire family of 8-10 children die in a Measles epidemic in a 3-4 month span? Ever hold your wife's hand while she dies of Preeclampsia? Polio...and you thought that trick knee was a bother? Then there's Smallpox; check how many it has killed thru the ages. Lost anyone to that lately? Or, seen the scars of survivors? Even simple Pneumonia ... it has been called "The Great Killer" ... IIRC it exists in us all as a matter of routine, then something minor suppresses our immune system and allows it to simply move a few inches to our lungs.

Doctors and medicines aren't perfect, nor as Jim and Rod point out, are vaccines, but please consider the alternatives carefully.

I am descended from a family with 7 children: 2 boys and 5 girls. One of the girls became a teacher, and presumably, caught TB from a student. A sister came to care for her, but the teacher died anyway, and only after infecting her sister. 3rd sister came to care for the 2nd; rinse and repeat. All 5 died and the family tree 'withered' a bit. The brothers survived because men were not expected to be care-givers in that day. Fortunately for me.

[Malcolm McLeod]

But why is it that more people are getting the flu

Because there's 7 billion of us to catch it.

[Brian Elfert]

I recall having read - don't recall where - that if the rate of infant/childhood deaths 50+ years ago were the same as it is today , average lifespan hasn't increased all that much. Childhood mortality is much lower today which helps the average a lot. And a very good point about physical activity or lack thereof.

My family doctor is great and probably in his early 60s. He told me at least a decade ago that when he started in medicine he saw a lot patients with repetitive stress injuries from working on production lines. He said that now he sees mostly issues from patients not being active enough from sitting at a desk all day. He is a great doctor. He diagnosed a chronic issue in two minutes that sent me to ER four or five times for stroke like symptoms. The medication he prescribed has worked for several years now.

[Jim Koepke]

But why is it that more people are getting the flu

Because there are more people? There is also more traveling.

Without a source for your claim there is no way of knowing if it is a valid claim or someone's opinion.

From > https://www.healthline.com/health/influenza/facts-and-statistics#1


At the time of publishing this article, influenza activity in the United States for the 2018-2019 flu season remained low. The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness increased slightly to 1.7 percent, which is below the national baseline of 2.2 percent.

The 2017-2018 flu season, however, was one of the deadliest in decades, with high levels of outpatient clinic and emergency department visits for flu-like illness and high flu-related hospitalization rates.

One year's anomaly does not make a statistical model.


Right next to our front door we have a pedestal mounted auto-hand sanitizer. During cold/flu season I use it quite often, most of our customers do too. I wash my hands often. I use the sani-wipes at the grocery store.

According to CDC information one of the most effective ways of avoiding flu and other infections is to wash your hands often. Germs are everywhere. Most common sources of infection is from a person's fingertips being infected then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

During my days of working in public transit we often commented about washing our hands twice when we used the restroom, before and after.

Part of the reason flu shots help is it lowers the number of vectors spreading a disease.

Some years we get flu shots some we do not. My experience with getting flu shots and friends getting flu shots hasn't been a positive one. We live in a remote location and do not venture into town as often as we did before retirement.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

I had pneumonia three or four years that got into my kidneys and caused excruciating back pain. I ended up in the ER three times because I had severe issues after urgent care had closed. The second time was for the back pain and all they did was give me opiates that time. The third time they finally diagnosed me with bacterial pneumonia. My back was fine within twelve hours of the first antibiotic. At one point I almost called 911 because I couldn't get out of my recliner due to the back pain.

Unfortunately, when I get a cold or other respiratory illness it most often gets really bad. One time I could barely breath. It has taken me up to eight weeks to recover from a cold.

[Edwin Santos]

Pretty much anything you hear/read from immunologists state plainly that the year the flu breaks left when they thought it was going to break right all heck is going to break loose which is why the world is so concerned about the corona virus. All the flu vaccine is is an educated guess as to which direction the virus is going to go in its next evolution. Its no different than a batter trying to anticipate what pitch the pitcher is about to throw. The only bonus for the batter is they have their reaction time from the release to the plate to attempt to adjust. There is zero allowance for a reaction to a left turn when the vaccine was manufactured months ahead for a right turn.

There was just an episode on Science Friday regarding much of this as it pertains to the Corona virus. Some scary statements in there like lead people in the industry are pretty much clear that the entire world is going to be in the state of China with regards to caution/quarrantine in 6-12 months with zero potential for a vaccine in the remote future and a virus that is 20 times more lethal than influenza.

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/stopping-coronavirus-outbreak/

I'd like to think the flu vaccine researchers are a little better than the pitcher/batter scenario, but I can accept that it is a moving target so there's no guarantee that the formulation will hit the bull's eye. Either way, if someone genuinely feels flu vaccine is detrimental to them, they can always decline. I have heard many doubts about effectiveness, but I haven't heard very many allegations of flu vaccine actually causing harm. It was always my impression that it was either effective or ineffective, but no detriment or downside as such.
I will say this, I used to work in hospital administration and every employee and doctor on staff got flu vaccine. So if it were detrimental, or some type of scam, our doctors weren't in on it because they were lined up with everyone else to receive it.

Thank you for the link. I'll have to listen to the Science Friday segment. The thing that comes to mind is that there is always a market for apocalyptic predictions. I remember plenty of them when SARS broke, and also when the H1N1 outbreak happened. Somehow the world kept turning.
There are plenty of movies about virus pandemics, bio terrorism and the like. It's always suspicious to me when anyone talks with certainty like "zero potential for a vaccine in the remote future". How could anyone credibly say such a thing?

Edwin

[Edwin Santos]

If you could choose, is there another time in human history you'd prefer to be living in? (With respect to living a healthier life)

I think the answer any sane person would give is a resounding "No". It was less than 100 years ago that diabetics were wasting into a terrible death because we didn't even understand that they needed insulin (or how to get/make/administer/dose it...). Less than 200 years ago, surgery was performed without anesthesia (as we had yet to discover/harness it).

Of course the only rational answer could be a resounding "No". I'll always concede that health care as an industry has lots of dysfunction and ugly warts.
But just consider this one statistic relative to only one disease: Polio. In 1977 there were about 250,000 people in the US suffering from some degree of paralysis from Polio. Due the the development of Polio vaccine, in 1994 the US was declared Polio free. That's an amazing stride in a very short period of time. And in 2011 I think India was declared Polio free.

Incidentally, the Gates Foundation has made one of its projects, the goal of a Polio free globe and it's looking like they have a decent chance of making it happen.
Off topic, but I think that's a great story. A entrepreneur becomes a multi-billionaire and then uses his wealth to eradicate Polio from the world, saving countless lives. I'm rooting for them.

Edwin

[Jerome Stanek]

I wonder if the flu shot is like the shingles shot a couple years ago that they said was Oh so great when in fact it was discovered that you had the same chance of getting shingles with or without the shot. 10000 tested with the vax and 10000 tested without and there was no difference in cases

[Dan Friedrichs]

I wonder if the flu shot is like the shingles shot a couple years ago that they said was Oh so great when in fact it was discovered that you had the same chance of getting shingles with or without the shot. 10000 tested with the vax and 10000 tested without and there was no difference in cases

No. There is clear evidence that the flu vaccine is effective.

[Josko Catipovic]

I think flu shots are more about Big Pharma profits than about helping folks stay healthy.

[Lisa Starr]

Yes. I've gotten one for years and years. After my Stem Cell Transplant, I was advised to get the "Senior" version, though I was 57 at the time. Something about my immune system being less robust than prior.

[Mark Bolton]

I'd like to think the flu vaccine researchers are a little better than the pitcher/batter scenario, but I can accept that it is a moving target so there's no guarantee that the formulation will hit the bull's eye. Either way, if someone genuinely feels flu vaccine is detrimental to them, they can always decline. I have heard many doubts about effectiveness, but I haven't heard very many allegations of flu vaccine actually causing harm. It was always my impression that it was either effective or ineffective, but no detriment or downside as such.
I will say this, I used to work in hospital administration and every employee and doctor on staff got flu vaccine. So if it were detrimental, or some type of scam, our doctors weren't in on it because they were lined up with everyone else to receive it.

Thank you for the link. I'll have to listen to the Science Friday segment. The thing that comes to mind is that there is always a market for apocalyptic predictions. I remember plenty of them when SARS broke, and also when the H1N1 outbreak happened. Somehow the world kept turning.
There are plenty of movies about virus pandemics, bio terrorism and the like. It's always suspicious to me when anyone talks with certainty like "zero potential for a vaccine in the remote future". How could anyone credibly say such a thing?

Edwin

I never said the flu vaccine was a scam. But I have listened to, and read, endless accounts from the CDC to immunologists, to geneticists, and as you say, its a moving target (exactly the same as a baseball from a pitcher). While they are in no way blindly throwing a dart at the wall with regards to a formulation for the years vaccine they are merely evaluating what evolutionary directions the virus has gone in the past and are basically making a forecast as to what the years strain is going to be. Sometimes they hit it, sometimes they hit part of it, sometimes they will miss.

Sars, MRSA, and the like are mentioned in the episode I posted. I am in no way in any form of an apocalyptic mindset. The planet can use a good purge now and then.

The bioterrorism aspect is also mentioned in the conversation in that an ebola vaccine was well underway for years before major outbreaks because governments were fearful of it being weaponized. This is not the case for influenza, coronoa, etc.. As with everything (also covered in the piece) there has to be a need be it financial or governmental/military defense to move these very costly vaccines forward.

Without a doubt medical staff are mandated to get the flu shot and many likely do willingly but the legal departments of the hospitals without a doubt make it mandatory for liability alone. I dont doubt that it somewhat cant hurt even if your building and storing a bit of an immune response each year.

[Pat Barry]

But why is it that more people are getting the flu

There are more people

[Jim Koepke]

I think flu shots are more about Big Pharma profits than about helping folks stay healthy.

How much can they profit when so many places provide free flu shots?

jtk

[Mark Bolton]

How much can they profit when so many places provide free flu shots?

jtk

Insurance companies still pay for the vaccines they are mandated to supply free of charge so pharma will always get paid (all you have to do is look at the personal wealth of the executives).

[Doug Garson]

There are more people
And more people are travelling to more places and potentially bringing back the virus.

[Mark Rainey]

Insurance companies still pay for the vaccines they are mandated to supply free of charge so pharma will always get paid (all you have to do is look at the personal wealth of the executives).
Most of us realize that health care is a huge business with obscene salaries to a few players in the system. There are many honest people in the system and they try their best, but even they will admit that money game dominates. The effectiveness of the vaccine has been looked at carefully. As previously stated, the best estimate is that if 200 people got the flu shot, and 200 did not, there would be about one less case of flu in the group that got the flu shot. In today's health care environment is would be foolish to think that profit does not play a role in promotion of the flu shot. You make the choice. If you like the odds, get it. If you don't, pass.

[Dan Friedrichs]

In terms of the financial incentives, it's worth noting that many doctor's offices lose money administering the shot*. The cost of the nurse time + alcohol wipe + syringe + rent on the office (pro-rated by the time you're in there) + etc, exceeds what insurance reimburses them (even if it's "free" to you). I'm sure your doctor still recommends you get one, though. Hard to argue that it's a financial scheme when the person putting the needle in your arm is spending money out of her own pocket to give it to you...

(*example source: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/Supplement_5/S492)

[Pat Barry]

Unbelievable what some people believe. The internet is a poor source of information. Lots of data to support your viewpoint, just not enough
real information. PS: I'm sure the anti-vaxxers think the same way.

[Greg Funk]

Unbelievable what some people believe. The internet is a poor source of information. Lots of data to support your viewpoint, just not enough
real information. PS: I'm sure the anti-vaxxers think the same way.Unfortunately, the plural of Anecdote is not 'Data'...

[Edwin Santos]

Unbelievable what some people believe. The internet is a poor source of information. Lots of data to support your viewpoint, just not enough
real information. PS: I'm sure the anti-vaxxers think the same way.


Unfortunately, the plural of Anecdote is not 'Data'...

And unfortunately neither is a synonym for Confirmation Bias

[Kev Williams]

I congratulate you on your health. Sincerely.

But I'm the same age as you, still able to work hard and contribute to society, only because modern drugs have saved my life multiple times. I would have died in my early 30s from a ruptured appendix, in the days before antibiotics. I have had essential hypertension (high blood pressure) for nearly 50 years. Uncontrolled, it would have killed me decades ago, as it did my grandfather, when he was 45. I work with a couple of folks with Type 1 diabetes, one also in his sixties. He'd never have made it to high school without modern medicine, but insulin therapy, and the ongoing improvement of insulin dosing has meant that he has almost the same life expectancy as you and me. He, BTW, has devoted his life to the treatment of blood cancers with viral therapy. There is a 40-something mother not far from here dying of untreatable lymphoma 7 years ago, who is now healthy, working, and able to see her children graduate from high school because of his research.

I mostly agree with you on the OTC drugs. I avoid them for the most part. But, as I say, I'd be long dead without the 3 prescription drugs I take for hypertension, or without antibiotics at critical moments.
I have nothing against prescription drugs. Drugs are fine if administered and used correctly, and work. My wife takes gobs of them, BUT- she has only ONE doctor doing the prescribing, she's on the lowest dosages that work, and takes EXACTLY what's prescribed, no more, no less. In our area was a doctor, dubbed 'The Candy Man,' he was sentenced to 8 years for criminal over-prescribing. We had a DIL who was one of his regulars. Pay his office visit fee, tell him it hurts, and he'd write a script for a months worth of 4x a day 80mg Oxy. They'd never last a month. After he went to jail she still found plenty of pills, they just cost more. She died in her sleep of congestive heart failure a few years ago, she was 38. But I don't blame the drugs. And the reason I don't get a flu shot, I just don't feel like it. :)

[Mark Bolton]

My wife takes gobs of them, BUT- she has only ONE doctor doing the prescribing,

The other thing you have to take into consideration is that a doctor is going to account for the meds "they prescribe". Another thing that has to be taken into account is over the counter meds in addition to the prescribed meds.

People who take boat loads of meds are more often than not people who will get a sniffle and run straight to the pharmacy and start downing zyrtec, allergy meds, and all sorts of other stuff. They will be slathering themselves with who knows what type of cream for an itch or going through abreva like toilet paper because they have a tingle in their lip an think its a cold sore.

The doctor needs to be accounting for EVERYTHING an individual is putting in/on their system which is completely impossible. So the answer is to get ahold of the neurocies of prescriptions first, and then assess.

[Roger Feeley]

Every year for as long as I can remember.

My primary care physician told me once that our immune system handles some high number of minor assaults every day. I figure, what's a few more. I know that it's a bit of a crap shoot. They get together every year and try to predict which virus emerging from the third world is going to be big AND how it will mutate before it really starts to spread. I can't imagine how hard that would be. But I'll take the odds.

[Brett Luna]

Yes, every year. Being retired military, I'm quite used to the vaccination routine. Even if I weren't, I'd do it anyway since I'm on a couple of drugs that can suppress the immune system.

[Steve Demuth]

Most of us realize that health care is a huge business with obscene salaries to a few players in the system. There are many honest people in the system and they try their best, but even they will admit that money game dominates. The effectiveness of the vaccine has been looked at carefully. As previously stated, the best estimate is that if 200 people got the flu shot, and 200 did not, there would be about one less case of flu in the group that got the flu shot. In today's health care environment is would be foolish to think that profit does not play a role in promotion of the flu shot. You make the choice. If you like the odds, get it. If you don't, pass.

More like 10. Although years vary a lot, it is not uncommon that 10% of the population gets influenza. The vaccines run about 50% effectiveness (again, with considerable variation). That yields a case reduction of 10 per 200.

But it's the part where my risk goes down by half that interests me. For the minor inconvenience of the shot, that's a risk reduction I'll take.

[Jonathan M Peters]

I used to not get a flu shot. Now I get it every year and I kind of judge those who refuse to. I'm convinced it is a good move to get it. And having just had a baby, I also got my TDAP (whooping cough) shot this year. Furthermore, I am considering getting a shingles vaccination since my dad just had it.

[Erik Loza]

Meanwhile, in Central Texas...
425765

[roger wiegand]

This article addresses most of the points raised here clearly and succinctly, and is quite consistent with my knowledge gained from decades of working in infectious disease research.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/20/784608400/do-you-really-need-a-flu-shot-heres-how-to-decide

Just one more note of interest, as researchers work to predict future flu strains one of the things they watch carefully are the avian strains circulating in wild waterfowl in China. It seems that the virus gets communicated from wild birds to domestic ducks and then on to pigs and eventually humans as it mutates to adapt to new hosts over a 7 to 10 year period.

It will be interesting (epidemiologically) to see how the devastation of the Chinese pig population by the African Swine Fever virus affects influenza over the coming decade.

[Andrew Joiner]

This article addresses most of the points raised here clearly and succinctly, and is quite consistent with my knowledge gained from decades of working in infectious disease research.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/20/784608400/do-you-really-need-a-flu-shot-heres-how-to-decide

Just one more note of interest, as researchers work to predict future flu strains one of the things they watch carefully are the avian strains circulating in wild waterfowl in China. It seems that the virus gets communicated from wild birds to domestic ducks and then on to pigs and eventually humans as it mutates to adapt to new hosts over a 7 to 10 year period.

It will be interesting (epidemiologically) to see how the devastation of the Chinese pig population by the African Swine Fever virus affects influenza over the coming decade.
Thank you Roger

[Darcy Warner]

Unbelievable what some people believe. The internet is a poor source of information. Lots of data to support your viewpoint, just not enough
real information. PS: I'm sure the anti-vaxxers think the same way.

I am all for the common vaccinations, but there is no way I will ever get a flu shot.

I must be doing something right as I haven't missed a day of work or anything for that matter from being sick in probably 15 years or more.

It's my choice to avoid doctors if I so choose.

Best part of America is if I want to eat total crap food, balloon up to 400 pounds and die at 45 from a heart attack, I can.

[Mark Rainey]

More like 10. Although years vary a lot, it is not uncommon that 10% of the population gets influenza. The vaccines run about 50% effectiveness (again, with considerable variation). That yields a case reduction of 10 per 200.

But it's the part where my risk goes down by half that interests me. For the minor inconvenience of the shot, that's a risk reduction I'll take.
The flu shot can be a little effective, and one should have the option of getting one. This (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub6/full) is a nice review. The summary states Healthy adults who receive inactivated parenteral influenza vaccine rather than no vaccine probably experience less influenza, from just over 2% to just under 1%. It is a very interesting subject, and if you are interested more detailed statistics, PM me and we can have a good discussion. Stay healthy! Mark

[Andrew Joiner]

The flu shot can be a little effective, and one should have the option of getting one. This (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub6/full) is a nice review. The summary states Healthy adults who receive inactivated parenteral influenza vaccine rather than no vaccine probably experience less influenza, from just over 2% to just under 1%. It is a very interesting subject, and if you are interested more detailed statistics, PM me and we can have a good discussion. Stay healthy! Mark
Mark do you get yearly flu shots ? Most of the info I see is much higher than 2%.

[Jerome Stanek]

I just saw where this years flu shots are only 45% that doesn't seem like good odds

[Greg Funk]

I just saw where this years flu shots are only 45% that doesn't seem like good odds45% better than the alternative...

[Jerome Stanek]

45% better than the alternative...

So if they did a study and used 100000 people that got the shot and 45000 didn't get the flu but 55000 did that is good odds you have better odds if you don't get the shot 50 50

[Greg Funk]

So if they did a study and used 100000 people that got the shot and 45000 didn't get the flu but 55000 did that is good odds you have better odds if you don't get the shot 50 50You're misinterpreting the 45% effectiveness. In your example without the shots, 100,000 would get the flu.

From the CDC:

During seasons when the flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent.

[Edwin Santos]

To complicate matters further, the scientific consensus is that even when the flu shot does not prevent the flu, much of the time it will reduce the severity of the episode. I don't fully understand how to prove this, but it is the thesis. Here is the CDC article on it for anyone who's interested: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/2017-2018/vaccine-reduces-risk-severe-illness.htm

So if you receive the vaccine and get the flu anyway, the vaccine may still be giving you a benefit.

[Jim Koepke]

So if you receive the vaccine and get the flu anyway, the vaccine may still be giving you a benefit.

There may be many reasons for this. Since the flu viruses are constantly mutating the vaccine may not be completely effective against a new strain. Though it may have some effect to cause a less severe episode.

It may also be in many cases a person is infected with more than one strain of flu virus. Knocking off one or weakening it may be beneficial.

One of the main factors in how a vaccine works is it reduces the number of carriers. One carrier may infect multiple people. If a potential carrier is inoculated and does not succumb to infection, the chain of spreading infection is broken.

Another factor is vaccine programs raise awareness. Even those who do not get vaccinated may wash their hands a little more often. People become more aware of those around them. During flu season have you ever noticed when out shopping and someone sneezes? It seems everyone turns around to look.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

Mark do you get yearly flu shots ? Most of the info I see is much higher than 2%.
Andrew, I did not get the flu shot this year. I have gotten in on occasion in the past. Every time I think about it & way the odds. You have to immunize 71 people to prevent 1 case. The choice is yours. Sometimes I just say it is not worth it. Occasionally I do say it is worth it.

[Mark Rainey]

So if they did a study and used 100000 people that got the shot and 45000 didn't get the flu but 55000 did that is good odds you have better odds if you don't get the shot 50 50
Jerome, statistics can be misleading and confusing. Let me give you an example. If 100 people get the flu shot and 1 in that group gets the flu, and you compare that to 100 people who did NOT get the flu shot and 2 got the flu, the shot would be 50% effective. It cut the incidence in half. That generally reflects the effectiveness of the flu shot. I think it helps a little bit. Sometimes I think so much money is tied up in this "little bit" that we are not devoting enough resources to research a really effective flu shot.

[Dennis Peacock]

I stopped getting the flu shot many years ago. If I got the shot, I'd get sick for weeks. If I don't get the shot? I don't get sick at all. So my choice is easily made. No shot for me.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I stopped getting the flu shot many years ago. If I got the shot, I'd get sick for weeks. If I don't get the shot? I don't get sick at all. So my choice is easily made. No shot for me.

Our brains have evolved a great ability to connect things. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived by being able to connect "I got sick" with "...because I ate *that* berry". But in modern times, it occasionally causes post hoc fallacy.

There have been studies where people have gotten the flu shot or gotten saline (placebo). Turns out neither group was more likely to get sick immediately afterwards.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm

So it may just be that you got unlucky and fell ill after getting the flu shot, but you would have gotten sick without having gotten the flu shot.

[Ole Anderson]

Yep, wife and I have been getting them for years.

[Doug Garson]

As I said earlier my wife and I have always got the flu shot for as long as I can remember and its always been free so regardless of how effective it is its worth it. My understanding is it is typically between 40 and 60% effective. The number I have not seen is what are the odds that anyone will get the flu with or without the shot, if the effectiveness is 50% your risk is reduced by 50% but 50% of what? Part of the problem is everyones chance of being exposed is different, everyones immune system is different, everyones habits are different (some have excellent hygene habits some have terrible habits). So if you are never exposed presumably your chance is zero at the other extreme if your constantly exposed, have a comprimized immune system no shot and poor hygene your almost guaranteed to get it.

[Erik Loza]

As I said earlier my wife and I have always got the flu shot for as long as I can remember and its always been free so regardless of how effective it is its worth it. My understanding is it is typically between 40 and 60% effective. The number I have not seen is what are the odds that anyone will get the flu with or without the shot...

The way my GP explained it, if you have received the shot and do happen to contract a different strain, the vaccination will still lessen the symptoms.

Erik

[Bill Dufour]

I stopped getting the flu shot many years ago. If I got the shot, I'd get sick for weeks. If I don't get the shot? I don't get sick at all. So my choice is easily made. No shot for me.


Are you allergic to eggs?
I must be allergic to water. Every time I have gotten sick I have drunk water the day before, every time!
Bill D.

[Brian Elfert]

The way my GP explained it, if you have received the shot and do happen to contract a different strain, the vaccination will still lessen the symptoms.

I got influenza even with a flu shot. If the flu shot lessens the symptoms I would hate to experience full strength influenza! It was a miserable experience.

[Larry Frank]

I got influenza even with a flu shot. If the flu shot lessens the symptoms I would hate to experience full strength influenza! It was a miserable experience.

+1 my wife and I both got the shot and just recovering from it. It was not good.

[James Pickering]

I get the ‘Flu shot every year, and have for many years. Plus, the Shingle’s shot series.

During my lifetime I have:

... as a young boy - carried mercury in a vial n my pocket so I could impress girls by rolling it around on the palm of my hand

... as a boy - smoked cigarettes (but not for the past 75 years)

... as a boy - cast lead soldiers in home-made plaster of Paris molds (without wearing a mask)

... as a boy - cut up sheets of asbestos to lay newly cast lead soldiers on (without masks)

... as a boy - painted lead soldiers using lead based paints

... lifelong - chewed on thousands of lead painted wooden pencils

... lifelong - wiped down thousands of wood objects using turpentine (no gloves or masks)

... lifelong woodworking - breathed in untold quantities of saw dust (no mask)

I am ninety years old (soon to be 91). You have to be lucky (and not very smart?!)

[Doug Garson]

I get the ‘Flu shot every year, and have for many years. Plus, the Shingle’s shot series.

During my lifetime I have:

... as a young boy - carried mercury in a vial n my pocket so I could impress girls by rolling it around on the palm of my hand

... as a boy - smoked cigarettes (but not for the past 75 years)

... as a boy - cast lead soldiers in home-made plaster of Paris molds (without wearing a mask)

... as a boy - cut up sheets of asbestos to lay newly cast lead soldiers on (without masks)

... as a boy - painted lead soldiers using lead based paints

... lifelong - chewed on thousands of lead painted wooden pencils

... lifelong - wiped down thousands of wood objects using turpentine (no gloves or masks)

... lifelong woodworking - breathed in untold quantities of saw dust (no mask)

I am ninety years old (soon to be 91). You have to be lucky (and not very smart?!)

Wow you were a bad boy, glad you survived it. Just noted your number of posts (90) matches your age, quick make at least 10 more posts.

[Brian Elfert]

... as a boy - cut up sheets of asbestos to lay newly cast lead soldiers on (without masks)


I think you have been lucky on this one. A co-worker of mine died in his 40s from asbestos exposure. He never handled asbestos in his life, but lived near an asbestos mine as a youth.

[carey mitchell]

I got one. I have never had the flu in my life, I get a cold about once in 5 years. Buuut, as easy as it is to get, at no cost, there's no point in tempting fate.