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If my body is fighting the flu virus, then it's not doing its job to fight my autoimmune disease.
For the record, I've never gotten sick, made others sick, or risked anyone's health.
My own personal theory is that it makes it more likely it spreads more. The whole "I'm not sick. I've had my flu shot" thing. While they're spreading their germs far and wide.
That's right. That's why you shouldn't get the flu if at all possible. Get the vaccine instead.
I've never gotten a flu vaccine and have never gotten the flu.
My Nephew got the flu vaccine this season and got the flu- and that seems to happen too often.
Why do you care so much about what others do?
This pretty much sums it up.
I've almost always gotten the shots. The few years I didn't, I sometimes never caught the flu and I did, sometimes.
I continue to get them because I've watched the flu sweep through my town year after year, making everyone around me sick while I remained perfectly healthy.
i think part of the reasons why folks don't get the shot may be due to confusing other common wintertime diseases with the flu. Viral pneumonia comes around in the winter, and many folks confuse it with a bad case of the flu, and there are some colds that are as severe as the flu. My own brother is very susceptible to viral pneumonia; he seems to catch it when others don't, and he can come down with it several times in a row.
My own immunity system seems to be stronger than his, and most folks I know. I very seldom get sick, but when I do, it's almost always severe.
The CDC always rolls the dice to some degree when deciding which strain is going to be the worst every year. They have totally missed sometimes, and this year, saw the right strain, but it mutated into a worse disease in between the time the CDC made the call and the vaccination went into production. Most of the time, though, the CDC does make the right call and the vaccine is very effective.
I also believe that over time, with regular inoculations, a person's immune defenses against the flu gradually tend to build up. The virus constantly mutates, but if someone has been covered several times against the mutating strain of the season like me, i might catch it, but it will be much milder than it is in others because I already carry a lot of antibodies against it.
I think that some folks who never get the shots or the flu don't get out and around as much as others too. Once the kids flee the nest, their parents aren't as exposed as they were when the kids were little and in school yearly.
Even so, it's all a crap shoot. I just try to minimize my odds of catching it as best I can.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toryturner
Because some of us don't see the value in it.
Ever had a severe case of the flu?
I did when I was 19 and it thoroughly kicked my butt, now in my 60s I'll happily take the shot Thank You very much. At this age I could very easily see a similarly severe case leading to a long, stressful recovery if not worse.
The bottom line is the FLU is free (healthcare reform)
0 risk to you
reduces the risk of FLU by 60% or more (depends on year)
reduces the risk of you giving it to someone who may die (even if that isn't you)
Hah-the flu shot is not "free"-you better believe that the pharmaceutical companies and providers are charging the Government a very pretty penny.
Does anyone have the exact cost to administer a flu shot?
I did when I was 19 and it thoroughly kicked my butt, now in my 60s I'll happily take the shot Thank You very much. At this age I could very easily see a similarly severe case leading to a long, stressful recovery if not worse.
Actually I have and you are right, you think you are going to die and then you wish you would. But I still do not want the shots.
Hah-the flu shot is not "free"-you better believe that the pharmaceutical companies and providers are charging the Government a very pretty penny.
Does anyone have the exact cost to administer a flu shot?
The government is not paying for the majority of flu shots, private insurance is. It's more cost-effective for them than paying for a doctor's visit and/or a hospitalization.
I do not know what the admin cost of a flu shot is.
I meant the vaccine, which is just a version of the virus.
And no, I will NOT get the vaccine, thank you.
It's KILLED virus, which stimulates your immune system to produce antibodies, w/o making you sick.
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But I still do not want the shots.