Flu Vaccine: Do it or not?

[Ben Davis]

My entire family get the vaccine every year. I make a point of it because I once caught influenza which damaged my renal system and left me with Type 1 diabetes. I don't want my family to experience anything like that.

Certain improvements have also just hit the UK so that vaccines have greater efficacy with fewer side-effects (e.g. quicker-acting, less flu-ey).

I occasionally end up in discussions with friends who believe the 'autism' correlations, it's surprising how wide-spread that belief is. Most of them 'take the risk' of getting the vaccine because they also think that flu's a higher risk. Of those who don't take the vaccine, laziness or carelessness is the more common reason than the autism claim.

I have a couple of friends who really oppose 'modern pharma' as a general principle. I hit them with the stats but it does no good. Fortunately, they're a hardy brood who vary rarely get ill. All-in-all, they're a lovely bunch of people, genuinely open-minded (not fanciful) & not generally hard-lined, and the kids are gorgeous so I hope for the best but I can't deny the fact that they put themselves at higher risk of some quite debilitating illnesses.

[pocaracas]

Flu... It's like having a cold and a headache at the same time, right?
Got it once... not very nice, but pills helped with the symptoms...
Now if only there was a "common cold vaccine"... that would be great! I'm not particularly fond of sneezing and wiping my nose... so I tend to pull it in and then it accumulates in the throat and I get a sore-throat (duh) and then I spend some 2 to 3 weeks just coughing and coughing...

Any cool remedies for a bad cough?

[Ben Davis]

Flu... It's like having a cold and a headache at the same time, right?

Not just that, it can be much worse. Influenza pandemics were one of the biggest killers, responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths in recorded history, until the widespread distribution of vaccines. Common symptoms are fever, headaches, sweating, dehydration, muscular aches/pains, physical weakness, lung/bronchial/trachial/sinus irritation & inflamation and renal strain. Common causes of death were fever, lung conditions and renal failure.

Common use means that many people refer to bad colds as 'the flu' but that tends to be people who've never had actual influenza. Trust me, they're very different. Fortunately, thanks to modern vaccines, far fewer people will get to find out.

[NoraBrimstone]

I mean, unless you ENJOY projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea.

Boru

Those aren't symptoms of flu. ;)

[Doubting Thomas]

I mean, unless you ENJOY projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea.

Boru

Those aren't symptoms of flu.

Those are symptoms of eating at McDonald's.

[pocaracas]

Flu... It's like having a cold and a headache at the same time, right?

Not just that, it can be much worse. Influenza pandemics were one of the biggest killers, responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths in recorded history, until the widespread distribution of vaccines. Common symptoms are fever, headaches, sweating, dehydration, muscular aches/pains, physical weakness, lung/bronchial/trachial/sinus irritation & inflamation and renal strain. Common causes of death were fever, lung conditions and renal failure.

Common use means that many people refer to bad colds as 'the flu' but that tends to be people who've never had actual influenza. Trust me, they're very different. Fortunately, thanks to modern vaccines, far fewer people will get to find out.

Can't say I've ever had all those symptoms at once...
But I once had all these: fever, headaches, muscular aches/pains, physical weakness and snot... "cured" with ibuprofen.
Every other Winter, it's just snot and cough... to exhaustion.

[Kayenneh]

I mean, unless you ENJOY projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea.

Boru

Those aren't symptoms of flu.

Nope, but they are the symptoms of the norovirus, another pesky winter virus. I have never before puked so gracefully in an arch, I felt like a fountain statue

[Doubting Thomas]

I've had that a time or two... not fun at all. The worst instance of that I began to get dehydrated because I was shitting water, but every time I drank even a few sips of water I'd end up in another puking session.

[JesusHChrist]

I've had both flu and colds (of course) and there is no comparison between the two.

With flu, I was almost delirious with high fever and horrible bronchial congestion. Felt like I was coughing up body parts. There was no way I could even get out of bed, much less function anything close to normal.

You would know if you had the flu. It sucks.

I used to not get flu shots and would rarely get it in any case. Now, being older I don't want to take the chance; mainly from a work stand point. Not worth it, so the last couple of years I've got the shot.

[freedomfromforum]

I have never had a flu immunization and I intend to never get one. I had the flu one
time forty years ago. I see no reason to teach my immune system to relax itself.