Should I Get A Flu Shot Or Is It Just Another Poke In The Arm? Whether or not to receive a flu shot is one of those questions which is debated each year around the same time that Halloween decorations begin showing up on people’s front yards. People will examine the advantages and disadvantages of getting the flu shot on the bus, on the subway, on the road, at work, while having lunch, and anyplace else where two or more people congregate.
What is happening?
The debate begins to become part of news reports also. Some people today believe a flu shot is essential and will do their best to ensure they get one. Other folks think it’s a waste of money and time along with being a poke in the arm that they don’t require. Whether you receive a flu shot is a personal decision but data from the Centers For Disease Control and Protection urge that particular groups of high risk individuals get a flu vaccination each year.
My mom is in the high risk category. She’s over 65 years old and is on kidney dialysis. Everyone at her dialysis centre was offered a flu shot for a service so that everybody in the center has been protected. The medical care professionals working in the centre also got flu shots. Additionally it is advised that individuals from 50 to 64 years old get a flu shot even though this age group is not considered high risk.
Take note
The flu shot is also recommended for folks who routinely come in touch with people in the high risk group, like the medical care professionals working in my mother’s dialysis centre. Because I’m a caregiver for my mom it was recommended that I get a flu shot also. Although I’m neither a strong believer in getting or not getting a flu shot I got one just in case it may stop me from getting it and passing it on to my mom.
Other members of my family have differing views on whether or not to get the flu shot though, unlike myself, the rest of my family appears to have a strong opinion one way or another. Although both my mother and father receive the flu shot without fail every year and strongly believe in getting it, my aunt never receives a flu shot. She’s 82 years old and is doing fine. My daughter lives in a college dorm. The faculty recommends the flu shot for all students living in dorms (not a bad thought in my mind because a college dorm may be a hotbed of germs or it seems that way when I look into some of the very cluttered dorm rooms) but my daughter does not get the flu shot and has not come down with the flu during the 3 years she has lived in the dorm.
Let’s see…
My in-laws both get a flu shot each year, but my husband’s grandparents don’t. And my oldest son is determined that someone shouldn’t get a flu shot. Should you receive a flu shot the ideal time to receive it’s from the latter part of September through the middle of November, although getting a flu shot any time throughout the season will still give a person some protection against the flu or flu. But the flu shot does not provide somebody protection or potency against the flu for about two weeks after getting it.
And so as to receive the most protection against the flu a individual needs to have a flu shot each year. Flu season runs from roughly November through April although January to February appears to be the peak time of this influenza season. That’s when you’ll begin to hear reports on the information about what portions of america are reporting large numbers of flu cases.
What’s in a flu shot?
It varies annually. In america the Public Health Service decides which three strains of the flu are most likely to disperse and be an issue during the upcoming flu season. Purified viruses of these three strains are grown in egg cultures which are noninfectious and dormant. Those purified viruses would be the flu shot or influenza vaccination.
The shot stimulates an immune response that’s said to provide a individual around a 70% protection against these strains of the influenza. Why is it that some health care professionals believe that getting a flu shot is so important? One reason is that the flu (influenza) is quite contagious. It can also be quite deadly. It’s the fifth leading cause of death among the elderly killing as many as 70,000 people per year.
Conclusion
Whether you get a flu shot is something only you can decide. Consider the pros and cons and determine what’s appropriate for you. Disclaimer: this guide is for educational purposes only and isn’t meant to diagnose or cure disease and illness; nor is it meant as dispensation of health advice.
