Flu shots: do you get one or not? and why?

Question

i've never gotten the flu shot.

i can't even tell you if i've ever even had the flu. if i have....i can't even tell you the last time it was.

a co-worker of mine end up getting the flu after she got the shot. Now she won't get them anymore.

Answer 1

You cannot get the flu from a flu shot--the flu that is injected is dead, so it can't infect you. The flu shot has a 70-90% success rate, which though quite good for medicine, doesn't mean you won't get the flu. The fact that your co-worker got the flu after the shot was a coincidence--the shot didn't cause the flu.

It's a good idea for people at risk (young, elderly, pregnant) or if you live or work with people at risk.

Secondarily, by getting the shot, you lower the risk that you'll pass along the infection to somebody else (who may be at risk). That's why I get a flu shot each year.

The only people who shouldn't get a flu shot are those who have severe allergic reactions to eggs or previous flu shots, or have a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome. If you have a fever, you should delay the flu shot.

Answer 2

Actually I get the flu shot every year, and I'll tell you why. First, I have never had the flu so I am not worried about getting it, if you dont know you havent had the flu then...my mom tells me you haven't had the flu!!!! With that said though I always get a flu shot now and the reason is I never get a cold when I get a flu shot. It used to be I always had a cold or 2 during the winter that would last for 2 to 3 weeks, it sucked!!! But ever since I've gotten a flu shot it has helped prevented me getting the common cold. You should try it once to see if you dont get a cold during the winter, however I can tell you why your friend probably got the flu. You have to get a flu shot when your body is not at its weakest, if you feel a cold coming on DO NOT get a flu shot. If you are really tired from the day before DO NOT get a flu shot. The vaccine is shot in your body but really what it is is a very small small dose of the flu, your body in most cases is able to attack it and then is ready for more flu you may come in contact with since your body has adjusted itself to attack the virus.

Answer 3

I do get the flu shot. I am an elder care giver and any thing I can do to reduce the risk of missing work or exposing my client to an illness that may be fatal to her is what I have to do. You don't get the flu from a shot. It takes a couple of weeks for the immunity to build up in your system, though, so if you are exposed during this time you may still become ill.
There are also other illnesses that have flu like symptoms but are not the same. The vaccine will not help with those. Each year the shot is redesigned to protect against the types of flu that they expect to come around. Sometimes they might miss a type.

Answer 4

Let me respond first to your friend's problem: my doctor told me and I've read in different articles that if you get the flu after getting the shot, you already had the flu virus in you. The shot does not give you the flu. Otherwise, how would you account for the thousands and thousands of people who get the shot and never get the flu?

I've been getting the flu shot for the past five years because I have a lung and heart condition that necessitates me keeping well. Since I've been doing that I haven't even had a cold.

My husband never believed in flu shots, but always seemed to get the flu or a bad cold at least once a flu season. He finally got a shot (in deference as a caretaker to me) and hasn't been sick either.

Answer 5

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the risks of getting the flu shot are far outweighed by the benefits. So, yes, I get the shot and would encourage anyone else to do the same. And you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. The flu shot contains dead flu viruses; your body reacts to them by building antibodies, which then protect you from live flu viruses that you might encounter. This process of building antibodies takes a couple weeks. During that time, you can still catch the flu. Each year, the flu shot is formulated for the 3 most prevalent flu strains expected that year. If you are exposed to one of those strains after the two week antibody-building period, you will not catch those flu's. If you are exposed to a different strain that was not in the flu shot, then yes, you could catch that flu.

Answer 6

I got the flu shot one year because at the time I was working in a nursing home and thought it would prevent me from getting the flu...well I didn't get the flu so the shot must have worked but getting the shot itself made me sick, some kind of allergic reaction the doctor said so no I don't get the flu shot anymore.

Answer 7

I don't, because I'm not in a risk group for the flu. Even if I were to get ill, I'm young enough that it's not life-threatening. The elderly are the ones that should get the shot. It's basically wasted on anyone young and healthy.
The shot itself is a weakened strain of the flu, that stimulates the immune system to produce anti-bodies against it. If someone gets the shot who is already sick, or getting sick, it may be enough to overwhelm the immune system, and will cause them to sicken. Most flu, though, is misdiagnosed. Typically, it's either a weak case of food poisoning (more common than you would think) or a cold.

Answer 8

I never get the shots. We get the Flu from other people that have it, basic explain. In my work and the friends I have, we really are not exposed to that many people for it to be of a concern. If, I worked in a public area I might, but, I would wait a few years just to see if I actually can get it. I not ever get the Flu, so, I may have a natural immunity to it, I not really know.

Answer 9

i just got the flu shot because i am around a lot of people every day. it made me feel kind of crappy the next day, but now i feel fine, and it gives you a 70-90% chance of not getting the flu, and even if you do it is a lot less intense because your body already has its immune system built up against it

Answer 10

She probably had the flu when she got the shot. The flu shot can not give you the flu.

Coach