The Flu Shot.

I've been seeing a lot of talk about the flu shot on blogs and message boards. And seriously, I don't get the big deal!

1. You don't get sick from the flu shot. SO many people will tell you the story that the one time they did get the shot, they fell deathly ill. The flu shot is a dead virus. You cannot get sick from it. You can have a small reaction from it, yes, but falling "on your deathbed" sick? It's not going to happen. It's like telling someone a dead dog bit you. No it didn't. The dog you happened to try to pet immediately after seeing the dead dog was the one that bit you. It's called "coincidence".

2. Just because you've never gotten the flu before, doesn't mean you are some super hero anti-flu person. You simply haven't been exposed.

3. "I got a flu shot one year and that was the year I got the flu!". The flu shot contains just a handful of strains based on what the CDC expects to be the strain out there the following year. It's a crap shoot. If you got the flu, you got a strain the shot wasn't protecting you from.

4. Have you ever really had the flu? It's freaking terrible. And many, yes, MANY people DIE from the flu. Could you imagine the knowledge of finding out you were suffering (or about to die) from a strain that the flu shot was protecting people from that year?

5. Pregnant women in their 2nd trimester and on should simply get it without question. It will protect your baby after he's born and that's just an insurance policy I wouldn't want to lapse.

I understand there are still a lot of people under the influence of the whole "vaccinations are evil" thing. And while I believe the scientific proof that vaccines don't cause all the horrible things some groups suggest, I do believe the decision should still be up to an individual. Do I think the reason there aren't a crap load of people in wheelchairs due to polio in the united states is because of a successful vaccine? Yes. Do I think there is a real chance of something like a measles outbreak happening in the US and many children will die because they weren't vaccinated? Yes, unfortunately I do think this will happen. But do I think it's up to a parent to make the decision? I sure do.

And if the above is the reason you don't want a flu shot, then that is fine. But don't go telling people fallacies like the flu shot gave you the flu. Or it doesn't work. Because it does work if you are exposed to the strain it's protecting against and it is impossible for it to give you the flu. If you simply don't want it, don't get it. But if you are asked, give the real reason you don't want it. Not some cockamamie story!