Are flu shots a good idea?

[heyheyhey]

My problem is I was going on what doctors told me and previous taught medical knowledge, all of which is old and loosely put together in-between my current knowledge. So what I said was in as simple terms as I could figure in my head that made sense in my head, meaning its very easy to prove wrong if wrong, even though it made sense. If you get what I mean.

Unfortunately my head is a messed up place with pixies and too much leather.

 

[Mauby]

I don't know if they're a good idea or not, but I get them. I don't even know if they do anything or are just a placebo. The years I have taken the shot, I haven't gotten the flu. They years I skipped the shot, I sometimes got the flu. So, either something is working or the shot just gives me false confidence.

 

[whodini]

I'm not surprised by the amount of misunderstanding, misinformation, or what have you, nevertheless, it's still somewhat scary to see the vehement justifications some people have given what little they do know.

Originally Posted by heyheyhey

Forcing their levels up with vaccinations to get rid of weak viruses is good, but it leaves you more open to attack from viruses and bacteria that are too strong for our bodies (and medical science) to deal with.
I'm not purposefully trying to make this personal but this is the part I mean when I say "scary."

Originally Posted by celery

The more dangerous aspect is that the flu only evolves when it sees the need to evolve. When people get vaccinated they are giving it a reason to evolve and become more dangerous. It's much safer to just let the current strain stay as is which is relatively non-deadly as we cannot truly predict what it will evolve to in the future.
This is simply another example of poor understanding. A virus can adapt/mutate/shift regardless if it comes into play with flu shot-given antigens (avian flu ring a bell.) Lawyerdad's (and to a more complex degree septavirus') assessment is the closest to the truth. Scientists study current strains of a virus/virii using epidemiologic data and predict near-future strains, not strains they expect to see in 10 years. The idea of vaccinating the young, elderly, and immunocompromised/recurrently exposed is to protect them now; one's dead grandpa will have very little use for a vaccine that could protect him in the coming years. The problem is that since a virus likes to mutate or "shift" predicting which future variations will be more prevalent than others is still not quite an exact science. Personally, I don't think it's indicated that the general population should go out and get a flu shot. Most people have a strong enough immune system to handle illness without serious complications. Most people also don't come in contact with the very young, elderly, or generally immunocompromised on a routine basis. I, however, do and am therefore required to receive the shot at the "low point" of the prevalence season (it was mid-February here this year) with enough time for my body to build up enough of an immune response to handle the outbreak peaks. I would argue that if you identify yourself in one of the described groups or are in contact with them then you should consider getting the shot to help yourself and others. Of course, this advice comes with a warning based on your past experience in receiving the shot specifically strong adverse reactions, however, mild flu symptoms are not uncommon and are not grounds for future contraindication.

 

[King Francis]

Originally Posted by whodini

I'm not surprised by the amount of misunderstanding, misinformation, or what have you, nevertheless, it's still somewhat scary to see the vehement justifications some people have given what little they do know.
I'm not purposefully trying to make this personal but this is the part I mean when I say "scary."
This is simply another example of poor understanding. A virus can adapt/mutate/shift regardless if it comes into play with flu shot-given antigens (avian flu ring a bell.)

Lawyerdad's (and to a more complex degree septavirus') assessment is the closest to the truth. Scientists study current strains of a virus/virii using epidemiologic data and predict near-future strains, not strains they expect to see in 10 years. The idea of vaccinating the young, elderly, and immunocompromised/recurrently exposed is to protect them now; one's dead grandpa will have very little use for a vaccine that could protect him in the coming years. The problem is that since a virus likes to mutate or "shift" predicting which future variations will be more prevalent than others is still not quite an exact science.

Personally, I don't think it's indicated that the general population should go out and get a flu shot. Most people have a strong enough immune system to handle illness without serious complications. Most people also don't come in contact with the very young, elderly, or generally immunocompromised on a routine basis. I, however, do and am therefore required to receive the shot at the "low point" of the prevalence season (it was mid-February here this year) with enough time for my body to build up enough of an immune response to handle the outbreak peaks.

I would argue that if you identify yourself in one of the described groups or are in contact with them then you should consider getting the shot to help yourself and others. Of course, this advice comes with a warning based on your past experience in receiving the shot specifically strong adverse reactions, however, mild flu symptoms are not uncommon and are not grounds for future contraindication.

Knowledge bombs, they've been dropped.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by King Francis

Knowledge bombs, they've been dropped.
Guess I wasn't that half drunk the day they talked about flu shots in Microbiology.

 

[heyheyhey]

I understand, missinformation is a *****, and whith the aount taht's thrown at us through newspaper, tv, legit and non-legit sources, its hard to keep up or know what right and whats wrong. At least we're sure flu is bad, right?

 

[Go Surface]

I always get really sick and it makes my arm really sore. I get them anyway.

 

[binge]

I don't think I've ever gotten one, and I've had the flu maybe 3-4 times in the last 15 years.

 

[totally epic]

I do because they're free through work.

 

[kakemono]

Flu shots are when the government perorms secret CIA tests on the citizens. Why does the age range keep growing for those in need to take the shots?

I have never taken a flu shot in my life and never will. No behavior inducing drugs in my system!

 

[Jumbie]

This thread makes me laugh a little bit and cry even more. Oh well, whodini already laid the smack down. Got my flu shot today for the same reason he did. My shoulder is sore.

 

[Piobaire]

This thread has given me several good chuckles. I will leave you all with just two words to ponder on: herd immunity.

 

[Gus]

I got mine on Wednesday. The last few mornings I have woken up feeling a bit achy and slow. I've never had that reaction before.

If I don't have any further reaction and avoid the flu it will have been worth it.

 

[forsbergacct2000]

I'm 52, so the doctor says to get it. I do.

 

[Berticus]

In my opinion, if you've never gotten the flu shot and haven't gotten the flu, don't get the shot. If you've gotten flu shots in the past, it may be best to keep getting the shot. If a couple of consecutive years you get the flu, but have never gotten the flu shot, it may be in your best interest to check it out.

The reasoning behind this is based on the theory of evolution, or at least micro-evolution. By getting the flu shot, you're training your body to fight off a certain strand of the virus. Other strands may survive, and will pass the surviving genes on to the "offsprings." Then you get the shot again, to train your body to fight the stronger virii, and even stronger virii will survive and pass the genes on to their offsprings. The cycle will continue, and all that'll happen is you're cultivating super influenza virii.

The problem with catching the flu is since it's a virus, once you have it, you always have it. The best thing to do would be to keep training your body to fight the virus, despite supporting micro-evolution of the virus. However, if you've never gotten influenza, and have never gotten a shot, the shot may introduce the virus into your system despite the shot containing only weakened and/or sterile/dead virii. It sort of goes along the lines of "if it's not broken, don't fix it."

Some people I know claim that they've never gotten the flu, but the one year they got a shot, they had it, which could be just a few coincidences. My own personal experience is I used to get the flu shot every year because it was free and my parents would take me. Now that I'm in college, and even though it's still free, I'm just too lazy to get it. The results so far is I've never gotten the flu, nor have I ever shown symptoms from receiving the shot.

In the past two years when I haven't gotten the shot, I haven't gotten sick despite kissing someone I knew who was sick and being in close proximity for prolonged periods of time almost every day. This year I don't plan on getting the shot.